Haven for the Undead
by MadHatter2708
Summary: Vampires are not nice. Never believe otherwise. In a blink of an eye, Sasha lost everything. Blinded by her hatred of vampires; Sasha is slowly ridding the earth of these abominations to nature. What happens when she herself becomes one of the undead?
1. Never Nice

A/N Okay I've done a few Lost Boys stories, but I wanted to try something a little darker! I hope it's all right, and I especially hope you like it! (:

_Haven for the Undead_

Chapter 1: Never Nice

What is death? Death is something we all fear. It touches all aspect of life.

Whether it affects you, your relations; your friends. It is always present, never separating, always the unspoken dread at the back of your mind.

When you look at Santa Carla, you don't expect to be greeted by such a _foul_ atmosphere. Sure, on the surface it's all pretty lights, and _fun_.

But then you look closer, and you realise that that little girl you had assumed was just relaxing, maybe tired out after all the excitement; is really in tears, her eyes red and puffy, as her life lies in tatters around her. You don't know why she looks this way, but it snaps everything into reality. And suddenly, those bright colours don't look quite so dazzling. The gloom seems to grow, and everything rapidly dissolves from that candy-floss aura you had previously perceived. You see Santa Carla as it truly is.

A dead end.

The locals were more cunning and aware than these tourists, who didn't have a clue to the true atmosphere of the night. Locals knew to be wary, keep away from the shadows, keep away from those people, who aren't really people. You know who I am talking about.

It was these creatures who haunted the streets, who lurked in the shadows...who lurked in your nightmares.

No one really knew them. Yet people _thought_ they knew them. The local punks.

That's how humans chose to brand them, as though labelling them made _them_ seem more human. It did not have the desired effect. Rather than reassurance, you only produced more fear. This label made people more anxious, more aware of their presence. And nevertheless, there were always those who didn't listen to the warnings.

They'd put on the bluster; use the swagger, whatever tools they had at their disposal. Why not, right?

Wrong.

These "punks" would kill you as soon as look at you. And yes, they knew how to use it.

But if you were accepted into the fold? My oh my. Didn't you feel special?

And everything seemed rosy again. Much like a light switch, it flickered as easily as a candle, alternating to match your mood.

You ignored the sharp glances locals threw their way. You told yourself they were simply jealous. After all, who isn't envious of good-looks?

But it isn't only their looks, that attracts, although that certainly helps, their atmosphere radiates _cool_, and acceptance.

And, if there is anything anyone wants, it is to be accepted.

You go with them, quite oblivious to how they seemed to act so _odd_, telling yourself it was merely you being too _normal_. Who wants to be normal? You resolve to try and copy how they act, anything to be thought of as one of them.

Do you really want to be one of them?

You question yourself slightly, a hint of doubt creeping into your head. Do you want people to cringe away from you, too scared to look you in the eye?

_No._ And there it is again, the voice of concern, hidden behind this whole facade. You want to ignore it, but you can't, its incessant voice is persistent.

They aren't bothered by the way you act. They do not care if they draw attention. They aren't looking to be accepted. They don't _need_ to be accepted.

Because, let's face it, who will ever get in _their_ way?

Still, you ignore that little voice, instead focusing on them. Looking at them alters your perspective.

They seem so approachable and calm, that it takes you a minute to remember that they really aren't. They don't have that reputation for nothing.

You remember the night you saw them for what they truly are.

Vampires. Now, isn't that a silly word? A word thrown around all the time.

How many people have you heard saying, "How cool would it be to be a vampire? Wouldn't you love to meet one?"

Naive people.

A vampire is not _nice_. Now, nice is also a silly, over-used word. How often do you use the word nice? It is probably one of the most common words spoken.

No, vampires are not _nice_. And if you don't believe that, you'll never last long enough to find out. Don't let them fool you, don't let your guard down, and, above all, don't become emotionally attached. Biggest mistake ever made. Vampires don't feel.

And _never_ believe otherwise.

Sasha is the name. You better start listening, _now._

A/N Was it okay? Should I continue or scrap it? Thanks for reading! (:


	2. Death

A/N As always, hope you enjoy! (:

Chapter 2: Death

You're probably wondering how I seem to know so much about them. Well, I better start from the beginning.

I saw my first vampire when I was thirteen years old. I might mention that I am eighteen now. I had everything I wanted, a loving family, a caring big brother, and a secure, safe home. Only my brother wasn't quite so content.

We lived in Los Angeles, a city notorious for crime waves. I'd never thought much of it, sure it made me slightly more cautious than if I'd been living out of town, however nothing had ever happened which gave me cause to really be on my guard. This poised me at the top of the spiral. Nowhere to go, except down.

Jake, my brother, did not enjoy my company, and I can't say I blame him, what seventeen year old wants to hang out with his little sister? Nonetheless, he told me repeatedly that of course he cared for me, but he didn't want me around his coarser, more uncouth friends. Naturally, this sparked my curiosity.

Jake was _my_ best friend. Even if I wasn't his. He stuck up for me when the going got tough at school, and it was because of him that I never had to worry about bullies. Don't get me wrong, I had friends, but none understood me better than Jake.

The day I lost him continues to be the worst day of my life. Nothing will ever top it.

Jake had been instructed to take me with him, as our parents were heading out for the night. Jake, with all his usual tact, had glowered at them, citing he had a date.

The date, a pretty redhead, had shown a certain distaste at my presence. "Jaaake," she had said in that whiney tone girls use when they want something, "I wanted to do something _special_ tonight."

Spare me.

Jake looked down at the girl, "we still can." He gestured at me, signalling I was to keep my mouth shut. I stuck my tongue out at him. The redhead caught it, "but she's so _gross_." I winked at her.

She cringed back into Jake. I sighed; this sure was going to be fun.

We got into Jake's car. I, of course, was shoved in the back, out of the way.

Jake turned to her, "so, where we headin'?"

She smiled, almost evilly, even Jake, in his lovesick mood, recoiled.

"We're going to the beach."

Jake relaxed, "the beach?" He didn't sound impressed.

Red looked irritated, "it'll be fun..." Jake put the car into drive, and was unaware of her tacked on breath, "for me, anyway."

I looked at her sharply, what was she saying? Ugh, this girl was even worse than his usual picks. Didn't mean I had to listen to her all night, though.

We arrived at the beach quickly; it wasn't far from our home. I pretended to yawn, faking exhaustion, "you know what, Jake? I think I'll stay here, I'm tired..." I broke off, snuggling under the blanket on the backseat.

"Really? That's-" He checked himself, as I raised an eyebrow at him. "I mean, you sure?" He sighed in obvious relief. Red remained with a flinty expression.

"Yeah, you two have fun." I shut my eyes, willing them to leave. Jake hesitated, but moved off with Red, and I listened as their footsteps became fainter, and eventually broke off, as they reached the sand. It was by no means quiet.

I could hear the unmistakeable crash of the ocean, as it battered against the dock. Music blared from some radio, which I assumed was there. And, there was the deafening sound of people. Red had taken Jake to a party. I wasn't naive; I knew what went on at these affairs. Instantly, I felt anxious for Jake. He wasn't stupid, but he was easily led.

I tried to relax, pushing my head against the seat rest. Time past. It felt like eternity, but the sounds never faltered, the din continued, regardless of the time. I pressed my hands against my ears, willing Jake to emerge from the shadows. He never did.

I tried to stop worrying. I played with the locks, testing their effectiveness. I couldn't take it any longer. I swallowed my fear, and decided to find Jake myself.

As I neared the beach, the noise seemed to quieten. I frowned, shouldn't it be heightening?

As though they had heard my thoughts, it did. Only this time, the air was no longer filled with the sound of music, and excitement, now it was overflowing with screams.

I panicked, to put it simply. Barely thinking about my actions, I searched for a hiding place. _There._

I ran diagonally, still out of view from whoever was emitting the screams. I reached a large, angular rock. My legs were burning from the effort, and I cursed my unfitness. I peeked out from my hiding spot, looking for Jake.

I saw a great many teenagers, ranging from the ages of twelve to nineteen. They all ran like headless chickens, but what were they running from?

I couldn't find anything off radar. Were they all simply drunk and hallucinating? I relaxed a millimetre. My shoulders slackened, just wait until I got my hands on him...

A flash of red whipped past me. Was Red also running? Yes. But it was unlike the others...as though she was after them.

I laughed shakily. How absurd! How could I even entertain such a notion?

Red paused in front of my rock, and I stopped breathing. _She wasn't human._

Her eyes were red and her teeth pointed. Vampire.

Was I hallucinating?

_No._

_Where was Jake?_

I thought I was going to pass out from the overwhelming sensation of this.

It was a dream. Please! Only a dream...

No, it was real. All too real.

Red paused, surveying her quarry. I saw her shoulders tense in anticipation of the spring, which came instantaneously after, as she went for a screaming teen, ripping her throat out. I'll spare you further details.

I can sum it all up in one word. Bloodbath.

It was all over in a matter of minutes.

I longed to scream for Jake, scream for help. But no one could help me. Jake wouldn't hear me.

It was finally deadly silent. Red was accompanied by five others. Three males and two females.

All monsters.

I frantically cast my gaze over the bodies, if only I could locate Jake...and then...and then what? I couldn't do anything against them. Heck, they'd probably be after me in seconds.

A tall, blonde vampire kicked a nearly body, and they all laughed. He looked questionably at Red, "we got all of 'em?"

Red considered his question, "there is a little girl back in the parking lot."

He cast a gaze at the others, "shall we bother?"

A dark-haired one grinned, "No need, I think we missed one."

My heart filled with dread, please no..._Jake_.

His body was twisted out of shape. His head lolled to one side, one leg in an unnatural position, and his neck crooked. Dear god. Was his neck broken?

My heart leapt, as I saw that Jake was still twitching feebly, his eyes open wide and scared. I begged him silently to play dead, try to fool them, try anything!

Blondie advanced on Jake, his fangs glinting, "I'll do the honours." And then, without any hesitation, he latched onto my brother.

Jake eyes searched for something. Someone. He was looking for me, his mouth forming a perfect O.

His eyes silently begged for death. The pain must have been unimaginable. His gaze locked with mine, one last time. His pupils dilated, and his expression screamed at me to get away. But I couldn't move a muscle. I couldn't desert my brother in his final moments.

It took all my willpower to prevent myself from running out there, I wanted more than anything to save him. But I knew I'd only die in the process.

From that moment onwards, something snapped within me.

I made a pact. I would find every last one of those vampires, I'd kill each of them. I'd get my revenge

And I followed it through; I'd joined a band of vampire hunters, and learned the ropes. It was hard going, but I'd never break my vow. I was going to kill each and every vampire who had the misfortune to cross my path. I wasn't afraid of death. The death of my brother had caused me more pain than comprehendible.

Death. It wasn't his death that scared me. It was the cause of his death. Everyone would die eventually. But it hadn't been Jake's time. Vampires cause unnatural deaths, and they deserved to be punished. Only it wouldn't be dealt by some judge.

It wasn't easy, finding people to even think about trusting. No one believed my tale. I don't blame them, I wouldn't have believed it either.

My mother couldn't bear the idea that her son had been murdered, she'd gone crazy, and was now currently living in a psychiatric ward. My father, whose family had suddenly vanished, killed himself, freeing the pain he had harboured over Jake's death.

In one instant, I'd lost everything.

Those vampires ruined my life.

Now, I was going to end theirs.


	3. Assignment

A/N Thanks for the reviews! (: Hope you enjoy this chapter. Oh and I don't know if a disclaimer is mandatory, but seeing as I never put one in the first chapter – yes, I do not, and nor shall I ever, own anything to do with the Lost Boys.

Chapter 3: Assignment

Boy, did it smell. Now, I've seen a good number of vampire lairs in my eight-teen years, but this one really took the biscuit.

It was easy to distinguish what this vamp's feeding preference was. There had been a rash of missing children lately, and I could see a good number of shoes, all very small, all bloodstained. It was probably a rouge, an outcast, living on the fringes of human society. He most likely moved to a new city every few weeks, avoiding the authorities . They'd never know what had happened to these poor kids, but I knew now.

My mouth pulled back into an ugly grimace, as I contemplated the fates of these poor souls. What a terrible end to meet. This vampire couldn't resist retaining souvenirs, apparent by the clothes, shoes, and other small possessions, which were littered across the cave. He might as well have signed a confession and left it in plain sight, just for me to find.

I was aware of everything; the soft sound of the water lapping against the end of the pier, the echo of scabbing rats, and another, unidentifiable scratching reverberation. I was conscious of it all, without being preoccupied, and when the small swish sounded behind me, I was prepared.

Moving as though I was taking my turn in a dance, I smoothly removed my stake from its holster, and without breaking motion, performed a pivot on my left foot, driving it into the vampire's chest.

I put all my strength behind it, driving the blow from my hips. The vampire skittered, skewered like a hot dog. His eyes, red and wide, glared down at me. His hair was a bushy tangle, his clothes tatty and filthy, and his expression somewhat surprised and hatred filled.

"I know, you really wanted to kill me. Life is tough, isn't it?"I said, watching his face.

His fangs, fully extended, glinted in the moonlight. He snarled one more time, before falling to the floor. I waited until he was no longer twitching, before stepping forward to remove the stake from his chest. I began to wipe the blade on the vamps clothes, before peering more closely. Yep, those were definitely little crawling things. The blankets were just as repulsive. Ah well, I'd wipe it on my own clothes; it wouldn't be the first time.

The stake was designed to penetrate a vampire's skin as efficiently and cleanly as possible. It was perfect for a quick killing blow, if the body was susceptible to wood, that is. It was the most important utensil I had at my disposal, unaffordable to lose.

After I had returned the stake to its rightful place, I stole another glance at the vampire's already mummifying form. Every vampire died in a unique way, and I usually stayed to witness them all. Such information was important.

This vampire's face was caving in on itself, the body collapsing, and its skin becoming dewy and yellow. It was truly revolting.

Well, all done. I rolled the vampire's body to the pier's edge, and, after a mental apology to everyone whom was attempting to clean up the harbour, dumped it into the water.

The only disappointment was the constant one; that it hadn't been _the_ vampire. I was yet to come across any of those I had seen that night. Meanwhile, it was all I could do to rid the earth of these parasites, one by one.

Whistling softly, I checked my watch, nine o'clock. The night was still young. Seeing as I didn't have any more leads, I resolved to head back to the base, check in with Pyro.

Pyro was our co-ordinator; he chose where we were to hunt, and whom we were hunting. I had been after this rouge for around two weeks. He was the one who had brought me to this organisation, he had heard of my tale on the grapevine, and introduced me to this way of life. I hadn't hesitated, this was what I had been searching for; it was perfect for my predicament.

I respected him above all else. Pyro was aptly named due to his partiality to burning a vamps body, after the decaying stage. He said it was an easier method for disposal. And who was I to dispute it? He could kill them in any way he wished, as far as I was concerned. Although, I always thought burning tended to draw more attention to yourself.

And if there was one thing we didn't need, it was attention. We wore balaclavas mostly, these hid your face from the vampires, for if they somehow managed to escape; you would be on their hit lists within hours. Secrecy is a must.

Each and every one of us were branded with a tattoo on our left hand. A blood red flower design, to be precise. Whilst the male proportion were not so keen on sporting a flower on their hands, it was the universal vampire hunter code; therefore they just have to suck it up. Because of this design, we also have to wear gloves, as it was another sign, which could give us away to vamps.

I walked briskly, keeping an eye out for any sign of a vampire. There was nothing except the cobbled streets, with the lamps reflecting a soft yellow glow. It was a pity; I was in terrific form tonight.

The base wasn't far, about twenty minutes from this particular lair. I reached it in within ten minutes of leaving: I was known for my hurried pace.

I was greeted by the familiar stench of dirt and blood. Examining the door critically with one eye, I realised whom was on guard duty tonight. Each member had their own distinctive flavour they brought with them. It was simply a personal touch, for instance Pyro liked to keep company with a cat. Cats were alert, fast and unobtrusive.

Tonight Izzie was on duty; evident as Izzie liked to keep the entrance half-open, for if a vampire were to stumble onto this place, she'd have a clear shot with her stake. Izzie was a little over-prepared, and very zealous.

I knocked inaudibly on the door, and paused, waiting for a response. After a few seconds, a high, clear voice spoke, which I recognised as Izzie's, "who is there?"

Without speaking, I removed my left glove and stuck it through the gap. Izzie pushed the door open further, until I had a clear view of her.

"Sasha! So, you survived it, then?" She laughed, and allowed me admittance, without waiting for a reaction from me.

I smiled tightly at her, "yeah, I lived to see another day."

Izzie paused, visibly struggling to recall something. I waited expectantly, surveying the walls as I waited. She snapped her fingers, "ah, yes! Pyro wants to see you." Izzie smiled knowingly at me.

I shrugged, as though I had no interest in the matter, everyone seemed to be under the impression I had a bit of a crush on him. And maybe I did, but I sure as hell wouldn't be admitting it.

"What about?" I asked, in an offhand fashion.

Izzie watched my face closely, "How should _I _know? All I do every night is sit and stare at this god damned door! When's rotation?"

I began to make my way down the stairs, shrugging my shoulders in response to her question. No one liked guard duty, so rotation would be getting held off. I wasn't going to be the one to tell her that though.

I walked through the winding corridors, heading for Pyro's room. I idly wondered what it was he wanted; maybe he wanted to send me somewhere else? I sure hoped so, I was growing sick of San Diego, I had to search somewhere else. All the vamps here were nearly obliterated, mainly due to the fact that we had set up our main base here. So most hunters congregated here, and consequently there were a disproportionate number of hunters to vamps.

"Hey, Sasha, been looking for you." I spun on my heel, turning to face Pyro.

He smiled, "where has your head been? You didn't even hear me approach."

I ducked my head, blushing, "guess I was just day-dreaming..." I rapidly tried to switch the topic of the discussion away from me, "uh, so what is it you want to see me about?"

Pyro's face grew more serious, "I'd like you and Nesta to travel to Santa Carla. There has been a large string of murders and missing persons lately. It's getting out of hand."

I made a face; it was putting it lightly to say Nesta and I were not exactly the best of friends.

"Pyro, I don't need Nesta. I work better on my own."

Pyro frowned, "I was afraid you would say that. Sasha, you are not the lone ranger. You need backup." His voice commanded compliance.

I looked down meekly, thinking about how I was actually trying to dispute the highest authority here. I considered going along with it, but then I thought; no, why should I?

I looked up again, "no, I'm not going anywhere with Nesta." My voice didn't betray my nervousness.

Pyro regarded me for a moment, "all right, I wouldn't just let anyone do this, but you can go alone, on one condition. You report back to me, each and every day. Santa Carla is much more dangerous than what you, or anyone else for that matter, is accustomed to. You got that?"

I nodded slowly, "yes, I understand."

Pyro let a breath out slowly, "don't mess this up. This is big."

I quirked an eyebrow, "how big?"

He sighed, "They're going as far to label Santa Carla as the murder capital of the world."

Yeesh. Was it really _that_ bad?

As though he had read my mind, Pyro nodded, "yeah, it's that bad."

He resumed walking again, gesturing that I was to follow. "Okay, are you going to break the news to Nesta, or shall I?"

I looked away, blushing, "maybe you ought to do it..."

He laughed suddenly, breaking the tense atmosphere, "I might have known you'd give me the difficult job. The vampires are looking more and more appealing."

I smiled slightly to myself, if only he knew...

We were heading to the weapons room, I noticed after some thought. My head felt pasty, and heavy; I couldn't concentrate.

Pyro studied me, concerned, "you okay?"

I was determined to keep up my reputation for my strength; it lent you some respect when it came to working in groups. Swallowing hard, I told him yes. I didn't think he believed me, but he chose not to press it.

We arrived outside the room. Pyro pushed the door open, scanning the room before entering. It was empty, save for us and one other person, whom was sitting in the corner, cleaning weaponry.

"All right, you'll need some new weapons." He eyed my stake critically.

I pulled my stake closer to me, defensively, "hey, this stake has been through a lot!"

He laughed, "Whatever, that thing is all but broken. Take these."

He reached into the first shelve, and removed a _brokken, _which is another, more effective, wooden sword. It was also Pyro's favoured weapon of choice. While my attention was diverted, he plucked the stake from my grip, carelessly throwing it over his shoulder.

I handled the _brokken_ with some reluctance; it felt unfamiliar in my grip. I seized it up, weighing it my hand, comparing it to my other weapons. I thought longingly of my trusty, good 'ol stake.

Pyro threw a few other artilleries at me, including holy water; I paid no head to the rest. Stakes and holy water was more than enough for me.

He looked satisfied, "I guess that's just about everything, you ready?"

I considered his question, "what else could I possibly require?"

He shrugged, "sure you want to do this on your own?"

I smiled, "I'm not budging on this." Although, if Pyro wanted to come along, I'd be more than happy...

I broke that train of thought off, feeling my face heating up. Pyro looked at me questionably.

I looked down, examining my gloves. He waited a second longer, and, after receiving no further reply or explanation from me, leant back against the counter, "well, that's everything covered, I suppose. Be sure to keep me updated. Good luck." He inclined his head forward, and for a mad moment I thought he was going to kiss me, before he reached into my pocket, removing my phone. He nodded at it, "keep this on, I know what you're like."

I smiled sheepishly, before taking it back, "sure I will."

A ghost of a smile played at his lips, "go on; get out of here. Vampire to kill and all that."

I nodded, and grinned in his direction once more, "I'll see you later."

I walked back in the direction we had entered from, intending to catch up on some well deserved rest, before setting off the following morning.

I had reached the door, when I heard Pyro call out, "oh and Sasha?"

I turned around, one hand still on the door, "yes?" I took care to lace some fake irritation through my voice.

All humour vanished from Pyro's face, "be careful."

I hesitated for a moment, "I always am."

He didn't smile, as I had expected, "I know, but these vampires aren't like what we are used to. They are much worse. Why else would I be sending you in? You're one of our best. But even the best can slip up."

I deliberated over his words; I wasn't sure how to respond. Eventually, I settled on a quick, reassuring smile.

"I _won't_ slip up."


	4. Influx

A/N Hope you all enjoy! And thanks for the reviews! (: And Nalani: yes, I have no intention of making her like this super fighting machine! Lol, as I mentioned in the last chapter, they all make mistakes. I'm not sure if I like how this turned out, I had problems getting this right and I may change it. Hopefully Edgar and Alan are not OOC. And I'm not sure if I should include Star and/or Laddie - what do you think?

Chapter 4: Influx

Blending and being nondescript was a very important part of my job description, so when I arrived in Santa Carla, I immediately headed to, what I was told, the most socialising point in the town - the boardwalk.

After checking out the fashion code here, I headed for the nearest shop, intending to find some clothes suitable for this area. Thing was, I had no clue when it came to dress sense.

So, I was walking along, wondering how on earth I was going to fit in here, when I passed a comic book shop. I am not partial to comics, however one entitled, "Vampires Everywhere," had pride of place in the centre of the display, and my eye was drawn to it.

Smiling wryly to myself, I decided to check the shop out, after all, it was only four; the sun wouldn't be setting for another hour or so.

I strode in, pretending to be oblivious to the sharp glances two young boys were throwing my way.

They watched as I scoured the shelves, simulating interest in the stock. In truth, I was much more interested in this comic. Not because it contained any knowledge I had yet to learn, but because I was wondering what these boys were doing in possession of it. The comic was based off of truth; it wasn't fabled, although some of its information was completely fallacious. Why was it so clearly favoured?

I watched from the corner of my eye, as one boy approached. I smirked away to myself at his appearance, I may not care for fashion, but honestly his dress sense was way off the mark.

He reached out to touch my arm, and I jerked away from his contact.

He frowned; then his brother also advanced, "what're you looking for?"

I smiled, "Only browsing...unless, do you have any suggestions?" They'd most likely become suspicious if I brought the comic up, straight off the bat.

The two boys eyed one another, and then looked me up and down, seizing me up.

I waited impatiently, as two pairs of eyes strayed to my hand. I had forgotten about the damn tattoo.

"What are you really doing here?" Edgar leant back, narrowing his eyes at me.

I sighed theatrically, "I don't think it concerns you."

Alan's eyes never moved from my hand, and I knew then that they somehow had an involvement in my world.

Edgar waited for a moment, before asking the inevitable question, "you're one of them?"

I laughed, feigning bewilderment, "I have no idea as to what you mean."

They ignored my response, "I'm Edgar Frog; and he's my brother, Alan. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Name's Sasha. I am here for my own reasons. Mainly reasons that don't concern you." Hopefully they'd get the hint.

The one named Edgar shook his head, "there _is_ something off about you." He reached behind the counter, before removing a comic, one identical to that which was in the window.

His counterpart watched my reaction.

I worked to keep a neutral expression, "what? What's the big deal here?"

Edgar scowled, "does this mean anything to you?"

I smiled, "nope, sorry."

Alan grimaced, "you're lying."

I hesitated for a moment; Pyro had never mentioned kids whom knew about the existence of us!

"All right. Fine, I'm lying. But the truth is way worse. So just keep out of my way, we clear?"

Edgar laughed brazenly, "more like we'll have to keep an eye on you. You might blow our cover."

I raised an eyebrow, "your cover?"

Alan waited for a moment, and he and Edgar eyed one another.

"You _are_ a hunter, right? Otherwise, why have you got that mark?"

I raised my hands in mock surrender, "okay, okay. Maybe I didn't give you enough credit. But listen; just don't cross me, all right?" These kids probably couldn't tell one stake from another.

Edgar laughed again, "like I said, no can do. We have to ascertain you won't blow our cover."

I scoffed at his words, "I think you've got it round the wrong way. You're just little kids. Tell me, how many vampires have you killed?"

"A few dozen." Edgar answered instantly.

I turned my gaze on him, raising an eyebrow, "you and I both know you are lying. Why don't we try this again? How many have you two killed?"

Alan looked away, "none-"

"But we do know where to find them!" Edgar interjected smugly.

I raised my eyebrow, "I'm pretty certain that I'll manage on my own, thanks."

Alan and Edgar stood shoulder to shoulder, "your loss then! Don't come crying to us when they kick your butt! The vampires here are tough!"

I rolled my eyes, although their words did make me wonder; twice now I'd been told that the vampires here were much more difficult to eradicate. Why?

Edgar looked down at the comic, which was still in his hands, "I guess you won't need this." He threw it back down on the counter, before nodding at Alan, and moving away.

He brushed past me, taking care to whisper in my ear, "don't die or anything like that."

They were gone from my sight, before I had the opportunity to respond. I examined my clothes once again, and came to the conclusion that I could most likely get away with this get up for tonight, at least. I was wearing all black, so I'd unify with the darkness.

I cast another glance at the comic. It seemed to be mocking me.

Shaking my head incredulously, I began to move back towards the entrance. I'd been here only five minutes, and already Santa Carla was making a lasting impression.

Night had fallen swiftly. It was winter, and I'd forgotten about how quickly the darkness could take over. This was not good. I'd already broken the number one rule: have a safe place to retreat to.

If the vampires caught me now, I'd be a goner.

So, I deliberated, I'd find them first.

Vampires don't usually mingle with the humans so closely; however, Pyro had made it clear that these vamps were nothing like the norm. It seemed reasonable to assume that I'd find them out here.

The boardwalk was already heaving from the throngs of bodies. I simply blended with them, taking care to move with the larger groups of people. I wanted to perceive the vampires before they noticed me.

I didn't know how smart these vamps were – but some were intelligent enough to sniff people like me out, almost instantaneously.

I'd just have to hope that it was the former.

I found them, only moments after these thoughts. I could tell they were vampires; purely from their stance. Vampires have a certain gracefulness and ferociousness, which is undetectable to the unpractised human eye, but it smacked me in the face, as soon as I laid eyes on them.

Dang it. I silently cursed to myself; there were _three _of them. It's hard enough to bring down a solitary vamp; it's considered basically impossible to take down more than two. And I was alone.

No wonder Pyro had wanted me to bring a partner.

But I couldn't back down now.

I took a closer look at the three of them. Each was different, yet they all had a similar audacity to them.

I wondered how to best go about this...of course; usually I would never have spoken to the vampires; that is, more often than not, a terrible idea.

I've heard so many stories about hunters taking pity on the vamps, and losing their will to kill; that it's not something I would have ever considered.

Until now.

It didn't look like I had an alternative, unless I was going to ask the Frogs. But no, I would not be doing that.

I thought it over, it wasn't like I was incapable of handling myself – surely I could contend with a few vampires?

How hard could it be?

Swallowing any trepidation I might have felt, I begun to walk purposely in the direction of the vamps.

This had to be subtle, but in spite of this, attracting their interest was also a necessity. I had to find out where their nest was. And there was only one way to do this.

Go straight to the source.


	5. Pursuit

A/N Thanks for reading, and thanks for the reviews! (: I've decided to leave Star and Laddie out. I hope this chapter is not a disappointment, I was struggling to think of how she could react to them, I didn't want to use an obvious, expected reaction.

Chapter 5: Pursuit

Gathering my courage around me like a cloak, I continued to make my way over there. They all seemed absorbed in each other, and appeared disinterested to anyone, or anything, outside of their own little bubble. Of course, I knew this wasn't the case.

The tall, dark haired one looked up at my approach. His expression was hostile, and I understood why. Vampires like to be the ones in control; they approach the prey, not the other way around.

His two companions were talking to one another, their voices low and indistinguishable. They were all undeniably beautiful, it seems as though there is some law which forbids the turning of an ugly human, and thus all vampires are attractive. But hey, that's only my theory. It didn't matter what they looked like, they were all mindless killers at heart. No exceptions.

I paused for an instant; unsure of my following actions, if his preceded look was anything to go by, I was in for a hellish time.

He looked me over disdainfully, "are you lost?"

Dang it. Clearly my clothes stuck out more than I had originally anticipated.

I had to behave as though I was extremely unsure. Well, I guess I didn't really have to act it, because I _was_ unsure of these vampires.

"Uh...no...I just..." What did I "just" want?

He quirked an eyebrow, "yes?"

I hadn't prepared lines..."You all looked interesting, and I wanted to talk to you."

That was the best I could come up with? I inwardly cursed. I was being such a douche about this.

What was wrong with me?

He gave me the once over, I guess deciding whether or not I was good enough for his next meal. Evidently I passed the test, as abruptly his whole demeanour altered. He shifted his weight, so his stance was much more...welcoming isn't right, but it's about as close as I'll get.

"Is that right?" His tone was verging on disbelief.

Mutely, I nodded. Shouldn't they believe me? Didn't people approach them? Indisputably, they _did_ have an intimidating aura; but surely some humans would ignore that?

"Well-"

I didn't hear the rest of his sentence, as my eyes locked with a man. Only he wasn't a man, he was a vampire.

_The _vampire.

He continued walking, at a slow, unhurried pace, and I twitched in anticipation.

_Come on...come on..._

And then I realised where he was heading. I'd been wrong, there weren't three vamps; there were _four_. Oh sweet Jesus.

The vampire was close enough to be in range of my stake, and I ached to perform the blow, but if I did that, I might as well sign my death certificate.

He was a little different to these vampires. His face had a certain harshness, an austerity to it. He was clearly older than the others, his face etched with years of experience.

A cold hand griped my heart.

He advanced closer still, his expression somewhat neutral, betraying no emotion.

I then remembered that I hadn't yet answered whatever it was that this vampire had been saying. He was watching me with an oddly curious expression, his eyes probing, and questioning. Vampires didn't react like humans, and, as it had been a long time since I'd been in such close proximity, I'd broken another rule: don't let your guard down.

The vampire didn't open his mouth, he didn't ask, he didn't say another word. Yet somehow this was much worse than if he had been shouting at me.

My attention impulsively snapped back to the approaching vampire. He was a few feet within range now.

The cold hand tightened its grip.

_I couldn't breathe._

I had never lost control like this. It scared me, to have such little discipline over myself.

I'd been _so_ wrong to insist that I ought to go here alone. Now, more than ever, I could have done with a partner.

"Who's this then?" The cold, strangely appealing voice broke into my thoughts.

His speaking seemed to make him more..._real_.

My breath returned to me, the hand loosened its grip and I heaved a sigh. Never again could I allow my emotions to get the better of me.

A new disappointment crashed over me. This vampire was not unlike the one I had seen, all those years ago, but it wasn't the _same_ vampire.

A scar caressed his shoulder, which I was certain the other vamp had not sported, his hair was a lighter shade of blonde; his height was slightly increased. He couldn't be the same, vampires don't change.

My assessment took mere seconds to complete.

The dark haired one tore his gaze from me, and looked at the blonde one, "David." He inclined his head, before continuing.

"I don't know who this is. Went quiet on me."

They shared a mutinous glance.

I steeled myself to not look into David's eyes. A vampire's influence is strong, his mere presence had been enough for me to become scrambled, and I knew if I looked directly into his eyes, I'd be lost.

But the pull was there, and I wanted, more than anything at that moment, to be lost in their depths.

_This wasn't right._

I kill vampires. That is what I do. I don't want to look in their eyes!

Had they somehow known? Were they playing mind tricks on me?

I could feel David's apathetic appraisal wash over me. To him, I was simply another easy meal, who didn't know what they were getting into.

He wouldn't be thinking that when I drove the _brokken_ through his heart.

David's voice swept over me again, "hmmmm, what do you want?"

To kill you, and each and every one of your kind.

I looked up cautiously, taking care to keep my gaze on his shoulder, "like I told your friend. I wanted to talk to you all, you looked cool."

Damn it. My excuse sounded implausible and pathetic, even to my own ears.

I had disregarded the other two.

"Why not, David? She looks _tasty_ enough..." The small, curly haired vampire piped up.

Maybe most humans wouldn't get that allusion, but I sure as hell did.

My hand clenched at its own accord. Instantly, I felt David's gaze drop to it, and I thanked my lucky stars that I had had the foresight to slip my gloves on, when I had exited the shop.

"Is there a problem?" David asked, raising an eyebrow.

With an exceptional effort, I replied with the answer which I knew he expected to hear, "no, of course not."

The fourth vampire, whom also possessed long blonde hair, smiled lightly, enjoying this little show which was taking place before him.

I was _not_ making a good job of appearing normal. Guess my vocation in life would never amount as an actress.

Curly's eyes glinted, and I watched as his gaze caressed my neck. I didn't have to be a mind reader to know what he was imagining.

Never before had I had to contend with such..._human_ vampires.

I'd never really spoken to one; I'd certainly never approached one, not while it was still existing in an alive state, anyway. It went against the grain to not stake them immediately.

Forcing a bright smile, I attempted to introduce a new, mundane topic of discussion. I was trying to make them interested enough to not want to kill me instantly; however they also had to have sufficient curiosity to show me their lair. I was counting on the fact that most, if not all vamps, prefer to feed in the comfort of their own "home."

Certainly, there was also the option of trying to convince them that I was _not_ the ideal meal, and would make a good vampire. Somehow, I thought that this was not a good idea. It would be time-consuming; tedious, and, needless to say, difficult.

Although, every once and a while, they must contemplate turning others. I'd only have to go half-way there; just enough to give me the opening I required to kill them.

I'd definitely have to consult Pyro. Not many hunters survived this process, more often than not they'd either go the full way, or become vamp chowder.

Another problem presented itself in my mind – how was I going to kill four of them at once? I'd cross that bridge when I came to it...

This was going to take longer than I had originally foreseen; my first impression hadn't been as convincing as I had hoped for.

"So, cool bikes you got there." I said, gesturing at the vehicles, which were currently resting on the rails, a few metres away from us.

David, rapidly losing any and all interest, turned away from us, an expression of disgust and boredom occupying his features. At least I'd managed that; he'd dismissed my initial suspicious behaviour- probably putting it down to some human reaction, something he could never explain, as he wouldn't remember what it was like to be human.

Paul, who evidently was a bike enthusiast, sidled up next to me. I cringed slightly. Vampires have an unidentifiable, putrid odour, and it burned my nostrils. This was anomalous reaction to this specific experience; I'd never been close enough to an "alive" vampire, to know whether or not they possessed the scent when "alive," and because of this, I'd never had to hide my abhorrence.

It didn't really matter to them, any human who got close enough to smell it, would usually be killed by the end of the night.

"Yes, they are, aren't they?" He spoke like a proud mother, showing off their child.

I watched out of the corner of my eye, as David made a quick motion towards Dwayne. It was unnoticeable to everyone, with the exception of me and the other vampires.

Paul straightened his spine, and he seemed most like a hunting dog, snapping to attention, at the command of his master.

Dwayne was no longer there. This time, my reaction had been too slow to catch his movement; the only evidence of his departure was the inaudible sound of the swish; which always reverberated when a vampire made a sudden motion.

David stood motionless, and tacit. His gaze travelled over my head, drinking in the view of the boardwalk. They were hunting for prey. I would not be adequate for four of them.

My breath hitched, as I tried to think of an excuse to get the hell out of there.

Sure, I'd known they'd consider me as food – but none of the vampires I'd ever hunted had had companions, therefore their hunting patterns were inconsistent and erratic. One human was enough for one vampire, and, as a result, I was able to bait them into following me to a more secluded spot, where I could slaughter them in peace.

I'd forgotten to consider the possibility that someone else may get caught up in this. I had to get away, and fast. I had to contact Pyro. I'd never made so many consecutive, ludicrous mistakes.

Under no circumstances, had I ever required so much assistance. It irked me to no end, but I wasn't stupid enough to endanger myself - or anyone else, for that matter.

I couldn't die until I'd found the vampires I'd been searching for.

David's resemblance couldn't purely be coincidental...

Paul's face brusquely became stagnant, his smile becoming frozen on his face. David's face was stony, and I still couldn't bring myself to look into his eyes, at least, not yet.

"Why don't you come with us down to the beach?" Paul's tone was softer now, more alluring.

Yes, they were definitely hunting.

I struggled with myself, weighing my options; it would most likely be an irrevocable mistake, if I were to accept. But the magnetism was _so_ strong...

I finally understood why these vampires were considered to be so perilous.


	6. Puncture

A/N Thanks for reviewing! Hope you like this chapter! (:

Chapter 6: Puncture

Resistance was futile.

I couldn't escape the appeal they presented, no matter how much I would have liked to. Paul and I were on our own now; I didn't know where the others had disappeared to.

Instinctively, my hand travelled towards my boot, which I knew contained the _brokken_. The full force of their magnetism prevented me from doing so, however.

Almost like I had no control over my own body, I meekly followed Paul's retreating form.

This was _not_ good.

Whether it was lucky or not, I don't know, but the beach was only five minutes away from the boardwalk.

Where the hell were the rest of them?

And how was I meant to get away now?

Paul's eyes never wavered from mine, and I absently wondered if he somehow knew.

_There._

David, Dwayne and the other, whose name I did not know, were standing around a bonfire, along with three humans, two girls and a boy.

Like I said earlier, one human for one vampire.

The hand retightened its grip, its efforts were redoubled.

_I was going to die._

The thought did not scare me; I'd always had to expect death, that's just the way things are. However, I was saddened by the fact that I'd never managed to fulfil my promise. I'd failed in that respect.

Still, I'd tried.

My brother's death seemed strangely akin to these proceedings, perhaps foreshadowing this.

David looked up at Paul's approach; he did not show any recognition nor shock, at my presence, as I tagged along behind Paul.

Paul switched his gaze onto the vampire whose name I did not yet know, "Hey, Marko, which one do you want?" He gestured at the humans.

Marko shrugged, before striding over, taking me by the arm, and yanking in the direction of the others around the fire, and thrusting me towards their huddle.

The older girl, out of the two, attempted to focus on me, her gaze blurry and ill-defined. They were all drunk.

No help to be found for me here, then.

I yearned to try and kill at least one of the vampires, but I knew it was fruitless; I couldn't kill four of them, not by myself.

The boy, about sixteen, blearily blinked, "what's goin' on?" His body was visibly shaking, but whether this was from fright or acute drunkenness, I had absolutely no idea.

I wondered what I could tell him, and his companions, how could I explain this? If I tried to make them run, they'd never make it.

Was it kinder to keep them in the dark?

Paul appeared to prefer the scent of the smaller girl's blood, as abruptly he pounced at the group, picking her off easily. All the humans here were drunk, unsuspecting and easy kills, just what a vampire liked.

The blonde girl's companion - the only male - eyes widened and his mouth formed a perfect O, as Paul ripped his friend apart. At least, I was assuming they were friends, as after Paul finished, he let out an ear-piercingly loud shriek, "Jenna!"

His sobs subsided, as Dwayne sprang onto him. Barely had he had time to blink, before his throat was torn out.

This all took place in a matter of seconds. I'd scarcely had an opportunity to even think about doing something to help myself, and the third human.

She and I were the last ones left.

They must have divided victims rather rapidly, as they all moved swiftly to take out their prey.

_David was going to kill me._

I didn't look up from my position on the sand, but his footsteps reverberated in my skull as he advanced. I spared one last, hopeless glance for the other girl. Luckily for her, she didn't know what was coming.

David's fangs glinted in the moonlight, and I cast my mind back to the first time I'd encountered a vampire, whom wanted to kill me.

This time was nothing like it. I was unprepared, useless, and reckless. I doubted Pyro would do anything about this, because, in truth, I'd brought this upon myself. I ought to have listened better.

I should have heeded his warnings.

_I wasn't ready for this._

In a last minute effort, I reached again for the _brokken_; I had nothing to lose now, right?

It was snagged in the lining. My heart sped up, reacting in time to his footsteps. He was taking his time, enjoying the fear which inevitably was produced, by most, if not all, humans.

He was still quicker than I had anticipated.

I felt the unmistakeable tip of his fangs, as they grazed along the skin of my throat.

The last flame of hope I had inside me, flickered once more and extinguished.

He bit me.

The pain was like nothing I'd ever experienced, and that's saying a lot. My eyesight blurred, and everything swam before me.

"Who ordered the stakes?" Edgar's loud, clear voice broke through my hazy thoughts.

There was a snarl emitted from the vampires, before David broke his hold on my throat and spun to face Edgar, and, I assumed, Alan.

Bloody hell, I was being rescued by _kids_.

Edgar produced something from his pocket, I don't know what it was, but it worked. After a further growl from the vampires, they took off, with the threat of promising to seek vengeance hanging in the air.

I felt so weak. He'd managed to drain a good volume of my blood, but I couldn't let Edgar or Alan know.

"What just happened?"

I'd forgotten about the girl.

She appeared dishevelled but relatively unscathed. Marko hadn't bitten her, nor had he had the chance to hurt her.

Edgar looked at the girl, and a grin appeared on his lips, "nothing, don't worry."

I wondered if she was drunk enough to believe that.

She shook her head slowly, "what happened to Jenna and Logan?"

Alan grimaced, shooting a sharp glance at Edgar, "we'll explain later."

With a heavy sigh, the girl settled back on her haunches, closing her eyes, obviously intending to sleep. She yawned; then sat up, "wait a minute, what're your names?"

"We're-"Alan began, before Edgar cut him off, "Edgar and Alan Frog. What's your name?"

She blinked, "hmmm? Oh yes, Emma."

Promptly, her eyes soldered shut and her breathing became even and regular.

While this exchange was taking place, I nervously fingered the wounds on my throat. They were similar to bullet punctures, only not quite as large. The blood had stopped flowing; leaving behind some evidence in the form of dried blood, which was caked onto the side.

It was good fortune that I was already wearing a high-necked jumper, otherwise I may not have been capable of hiding it as well as I did.

_They couldn't know._

I didn't know what this meant for me; no one had ever really brought up solutions if this were to happen, mainly because it _didn't_ happen.

I'd only been here for less than a night, and already I'd completely and utterly screwed this up.

Edgar seemed to suddenly remember me, as he quickly turned to glare accusingly, "thought you didn't need our help? You'd be vampire chowder, if it weren't for us."

I sighed, "All right, all right. Yes, I was caught off guard. I won't be making that mistake twice."

Edgar looked like he was all set to argue, however Alan placed a restraining hand on his arm, gesturing at the sky, "not now, it's still dark, they could come back."

Alan turned to look at me again, "where are you going? Do you have somewhere to stay?"

I waved his concerns off, "sure I do." The lie rolled off my tongue easily.

Emma groaned in her sleep, probably recounting the earlier events in her dreams – or, rather, nightmares.

Edgar's eyes focused on her sleeping form once again, "we should get her out of here."

I nodded, glad for this excuse, "take her back with you, I'll be fine."

Alan's glance seemed suspicious to me, and I subconsciously pulled at the collar of my jumper.

Big mistake. Now he and Edgar were definitely watching my movements. Or was I just being paranoid?

As quickly as my trepidations appeared, they dissolved, as they both lost interest and shared an apprehensive look.

"Whatever, but listen, next time we won't be around to save your sorry ass, so watch your back, 'kay?"

I really wanted to hurt him for that comment, but that wouldn't help the situation.

"Sure. Now go on, get out of here, and take her with you." I told him, keeping my gaze on Emma's face.

She looked so peaceful...I wished I could share some of it. My head was now in turmoil.

Muttering about that was the thanks they got, Edgar proceeded to lift Emma, swinging her over his shoulder. Her eyelids flickered, but her eyes did not open.

Without a backwards glance, they strode away, leaving me to my thoughts.

Impulsively my hand crept back to the punctures. Was this it for me then? Would I be like one of..._them?_

Dear god, I hope not.

Attempting to think positively, I reasoned that while the bite was painful, that didn't necessarily mean that I would become a vampire. After all, no one had ever tested the theory, not that I knew of, anyway.

Sure, folklore did tend to lean in that direction, but they weren't _always_ right.

I was fighting exhaustion now, my eyelids beginning to droop. I had to get away from there, and fast.

I staggered to my feet. The ground was swaying, the sand merging into a meaningless mass.

Needless to say, I didn't make it very far.

I'd only gone about ten feet, when the darkness took over; and I succumbed to the ever alluring attraction of sleep.


	7. Vampirism

Chapter 7

_Ouch_...a dull pain was travelling up my spine. Blearily I blinked; my vision unfocused and cloudy. I was hit with a distinct sensation of vertigo, as I attempted to raise my head.

"You, get up." A sharp, cool, oddly familiar voice spoke from above me.

I twisted over on my back, stiff from sleeping rough. I made out a flash of blonde atop black.

Without waiting for a response, he reached for my hand. I would have flinched, if my reactions were up to their usual standard. His hand made contact with the material of my glove, and instantly I knew what was going to happen.

He yanked my hand, and, as I was weak, my hand hung limply, however the glove proceeded to slip off.

His eyes traced the design which had lain underneath the fabric.

David paused, before allowing the glove to fall from his grip.

I knew exactly what he was thinking.

_Vampire hunter._

Maybe if I'd been thinking straight, it would have occurred to me that it was rather strange for him to have not killed me immediately, especially after seeing the mark.

However, I was totally out of it, and therefore I didn't question his abnormal reaction.

His voice, still unimpressed, repeated his earlier demand, "get up."

I sat up slowly, confused by the darkness of the sky. Had I only slept a few hours? The stiffness of my back said otherwise.

"It's ten pm." David answered my unspoken question.

This didn't clear up my confusion; it had been around ten when he'd...I cringed to think about it.

Then I understood, "I slept a whole day!" My voice was unnaturally high, and it pierced the soft contrast of the beach setting.

Nodding, David surveyed my appearance, his expression somewhat curious.

Self-conscious, I brushed at the dirt on my jeans, and ran a hand through my hair.

And then it finally sunk in.

I was standing here, chatting to a vampire, like it was the most natural thing in the world!

"I bit you." He stated, staring at my throat. The appeal of my blood seemed to no longer exist for him.

My worst fears had been realised.

I tried to laugh, "hmm, really? I never noticed." Dropping all pretence of normality I clung to the hope that I may still have a chance, "but that doesn't mean anything! Right?"

David shook his head, "why do you think you're still alive? Because I _like_ you?" His voice was full of scorn and contempt, without waiting a beat, he carried on, "no, no. You're one of us now, like it or not."

_I was a vampire. I was a disgusting, bloodsucking, death-defying vampire. Oh god...I'd become one of the undead, something I'd spent my life attempting to eradicate. I'd only been indulging myself earlier, trying to lull myself into a false sense of security._

I clutched at straws, "but wait! Don't I have any options?"

He smiled without humour, "not any that I am willing to discuss. You are going to kill someone, and you're going to be a full vampire. You're too dangerous to allow to walk free, which I might have otherwise permitted. Your past vocation prevents this however."

That damn tattoo. Damn it. All it had ever brought me was trouble.

His words replayed in my mind, I would not, without a shadow of a doubt, be killing someone. I'd kill myself sooner than I would kill another.

So, I'd been right, death was all that was left for me.

"And what if I don't?" My voice cracked on the "don't."

"You'll die," he responded, "and the pain will be unimaginable, the thirst unbearable. Believe me, as much as you think you can resist now, you can't and you won't."

He seemed certain, but he didn't know me.

"You know," he continued, "I didn't catch your name."

My eyes flickered over the ground, "that may have been because you planned on having me for dinner."

He brushed it off, "all in the past. Doesn't curiosity get the better of everyone?"

I'd never conversed so much with a vampire...he seemed so _alive_ and _human_.

"Perhaps." I didn't want to tell him my name, it would make this all seem too real.

"I tried to be civil, Sasha. You brought this on yourself."

That...that...he already knew my name! How- my thoughts broke off, as I felt his influence invade the privacy of my mind. He reached into the upmost corner of everything I'd ever seen or experienced.

He spoke quietly, caressingly, "now I know everything there is to know, concerning you. I warned you that my methods would be far more unpleasant. Perhaps, in future, you ought to just comply."

I glowered at him, "you don't know anything."

"Sure I do. I know your brother was killed by my, should I say _our_, kind. I know you are..._were_, in love with a man named Pyro. I know your favourite colour is red, ironic isn't it? Considering the circumstances."

I continued to glare, "seeing my memories doesn't mean you know me."

His smile never faltered, "I think it does."

I didn't respond. I was so perplexed, my conflicting emotions were making my head hurt.

I could feel the dry, aching thirst at the back of my throat. And I watched, as David's smirk grew wider, as I finally comprehended the immensity of this insatiable craving.

My longing must have shown on my face.

"Yes, you feel that thirst? If you don't kill anyone, that will _never _go away."

My throat ripped open into flames.

This pain was even worse than the bite.

"Also, I think I may have some information, which, shall we say, may be of interest to you."

Despite myself, curiosity did get the better of me, "What do you mean?"

"Let's just to say, I know the vampire you seek."

I looked at him suspiciously; I knew their games, "how?"

"Many vampires pass through here. I know all those that do." He spoke in a matter-of-fact, offhand manner.

"And why would you help me? What have you got to gain from it?"

Vampires do not do anything for anyone, unless they benefit from it in some way.

"Well we all need each other, Sasha. I do you a favour, it's only proper for you to do me one."

I knew there would be a catch...what did he want?

"And what do you want in return?"

"Well it's not really for me; you see it'll help you too." His smirk grew wider.

What did he think would "help" me?

I had a feeling I would not like this...

"Care to clarify? I don't make deals with vamps."

He laughed, "Well you are one now, so it's no different to making a deal with humans. And that's what I'm talking about. Humans. Killing one."

He was only echoing my already established concerns.

I couldn't change what I was now...

"I'm not killing anyone! And, for your information, I'm nothing like you."

I couldn't kill anyone, vampires don't count as people; therefore I never felt any remorse. And with good reason, look at what they've done to me...

"Oh, you're more like me than you know, and you're willing to admit. And you won't be able to resist, you'll give in, you have to succumb to it, that's how it is."

I considered this briefly, and when I answered, I meant what I said, "I'll kill myself first."

"I know you'd try and starve yourself, causing your death, but you can't refrain long enough for that"

"I'll stake myself. Not starve. Or, better yet, Edgar will stake me."

I didn't really know what I would do...maybe the Frogs would have an idea? As much as it pained me to have to admit that I'd been wrong to a couple of kids like that...no, I couldn't. Not for the sake of my pride, but because I'd forgotten for a moment – the Frogs would stake first, ask later.

Pyro? How could I admit to him that I'd completely messed things up? That I'd ignored his warnings and fell headlong into this position? How could I ever admit this to anyone?

Sasha. The girl who brought about her own demise, entirely due to her own stupidity.

I'd made this mistake, now I had to fix it.

"Ah, yes, Edgar Frog. He won't be staking anyone when I'm done." David's eyes glinted, as he relished in prospect of killing Edgar.

"All right, that takes us back to option one: stake myself."

I reached down, intending to remove the stake from my boot. But could I really do it? Did I really have the strength to drive it through my own heart? Although I wished this were the case, I was a realistic person, and I knew that this would be my very last resort. I could only hope that if it came to that, I'd be able to perform the blow.

"You don't need to do that, Sasha. You could make a very special vampire, consider staying with us," He spoke softly, his voice enticing.

It was difficult to focus on my initial objective – do not agree to anything he says. Vampires are liars. And David was one hell of an actor.

"I can't stay with vampires...I've spent my whole life killing them..."

"Yes, but you weren't one then. Now you are. You aren't going to kill your own kind, are you, Sasha?"

It was difficult to counter his question. Like I said, I'm a practical person, and I couldn't argue with the facts. I was, and I always would be, part, if not all, vampire.

"I'm still half-human."

"Not for long" His voice was low, sly. Clearly this was not intended for me to catch.

Perhaps he had disregarded the fact that my hearing was now about on par with his?

He began to walk away; he cast me a curious glance as he took a step, as if wondering if I were going to follow.

I feverishly looked around, suddenly frightened by the prospect of being left here, alone. What about if I couldn't control myself? What if I did kill someone? What if Edgar and Alan found me?

And, most importantly, what if David really could lead me to my objective in life? What if I could finally kill those vampires?

Even if I killed myself, I could maybe get them first. Was I willing to just let him walk away?

Even as I ran this through in my head, I knew that this had been his intent, luring me to follow. Dangling a carrot in front of me. As much as I hated him for this, I couldn't help but admire his methods, I'd admit it; he was smart.

In spite of myself, I had to find out if he could really help me.

"Wait! Where're you going?"

He glanced over his shoulder, as if he had known that I would stop him. Actually, I knew that he knew that I would stop him from leaving.

"I'm going to our cave, are you coming or are you going to sit here alone all night?"

That idea did scare me a little...

"What do you do there?" I questioned him suspiciously, I'd never seen inside a lair of more than one vampire, and somehow, I didn't think they only slept there.

"Whatever you want, Sasha. It's your cave now too." David was definitely the elusive sort.

He was dangling another carrot. He'd seen my memories; he knew I'd never had a real home, nor family, after my parents did what they had to do.

It appealed and repulsed me, simultaneously. The idea of a family was so tempting...but I knew that I couldn't do that with vampires...even if I were one too.

My brother's shadow would always be that factor which prevented me from ever feeling compassion for these creatures.

Maybe I could pass on the details of these vampires to the Frogs; maybe they could eventually kill them all. It was a stretch, but hey, stranger things have happened.

"How many stay there?" Hopefully it was only the four of them; I didn't think I could handle it, if there were more. Four was plenty.

"Myself and the others from last night."

I sighed in relief, maybe the Frogs would manage...at least, I sure hoped so.

"I guess I don't really have a choice..." It was true, I didn't. What were the options? Stay here, and risk being found by the Frogs, maybe end up killing some innocent bystander? I wasn't stupid; I knew that if the bloodlust got a hold of me, I'd be helpless to deny my instinct, much as it disgusted me. That left one other choice – give David what he wanted, and follow him.

"That a girl. Don't worry, soon you'll feel right at home." He sounded causal, relaxed.

I threw him a sharp glance; he was talking like this was a permanent thing. I had no intention of sticking around that long.

"That doesn't mean I'm happy about this." I told him, a warning note present in my tone.

He laughed quietly, "not yet," he whispered. At least that's what I thought he said, his voice was so low, it was difficult to distinguish his words.

I considered pressing him for an answer, but I let it go.

He resumed walking, and, after a further glance, I did, to my disgrace, follow him. A vampire. A vampire who had turned me, no less.

I was already puzzled by this vampire's behaviour, it was nothing like I'd ever experienced.

If I wasn't so caught up in this already, I would have said that it was a good learning curve.

Thing was, I reflected sadly, nothing would ever be the same again.

At the time I didn't realise it, but soon, I'd know just how true that statement was.


	8. Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave

A/N Dwayne only has something like 3 lines, so obviously I had to guess what he'd say mostly. If you think he's OOC, then I apologise, but remember that things may not be as they seem! (: Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 8: Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave

David's strides were about twice as long as mine, so it came as no surprise that I found it impossible to keep pace. This resulted in David arriving back at this cave a few minutes before I did. Evidently this gave him the opportunity to explain the situation to the others, as none look surprised at my arrival.

I froze in the entrance, as three pairs of questioning eyes met mine. Paul was the first to approach.

"Sasha," he looped an arm around my shoulder, "welcome to the gang. You remember Marko and Dwayne?" He said, as he gestured to the other two.

I cringed away from his contact, recalling the last time he touched me,

"Err, yeah, thanks. But I'm not staying."

I didn't want to try and fight this lot, but I sure as hell wouldn't be staying here for long.

"What? Did you hear that guys? She's not staying. C'mon, Sasha just hang with us for a while."

Paul raised his eyebrow, in mock shock. His voice was jokey, clearly intended to not be taken seriously.

"Sorry, thanks for the offer, but I'm spending minimal time here."

Things had to be clear – I was not one of them.

"But, we're loads of fun. I think you'll learn to like it here."

I laughed bitterly, recalling everything I'd ever learnt about vampires,

"I'll never like spending time with vampires."

"So you don't like spending time alone then." He turned, laughing. The others, with the exception of David, joined in.

"I thought I could do this...I was wrong." I stepped backwards.

The laughter abruptly cut off, all tones of humour vanishing,

"We're not scaring you are we? We want you to feel at home here." Paul took a step forward, closing the already small gap.

My heart rate sped up, as I was cornered in.

"Don't come any closer." I raised one hand, in warning.

"Relax, Sash, we're not gonna hurt you." His hands were also raised, in mock surrender.

I didn't relax from my position against the wall.

"That doesn't mean I won't hurt you." I cursed my choice of words, a big threat from someone who was relatively defenceless.

"Ooh, feisty. I like her already." He smiled creepily.

"Go to hell." I glowered at him. Why were they even pretending to be nice?

David laughed darkly, but did not speak.

Paul moved forward, and before I had time to react, put an arm around my shoulder.

"Let me show you around."

He began to pull me, as I didn't move a muscle. He used a little more force than necessary, but I chose not to resist. Why make things worse for myself?

I waited until we were away from the others, before shrugging his arm off, "get off me." I shoved him away, and walked into the darkest corner I could see.

This cave was actually rather clean for a vampire lair. It seemed of the usual variety, on first glance, but it was much more personalised – clearly these vampires stayed here, never travelling. I wondered how they managed to remain so discreet, after all the number of disappearances must have been astounding, but then, I suppose, people have noticed. It doesn't have the label of "Murder capital of the world," for nothing.

I heard the unmistakable scratch of feet on concrete, and I listened carefully as a vampire approached. I tensed; an instinctive habit. It was almost laughable to think that I no longer had to concern myself with vampires, seeing as I now was one, yet this was the worst imaginable way to give me exactly what I wanted.

The footsteps grew louder, as the vampire drew closer, and I clenched my fist, prepared to use whatever force necessary to get them to leave me alone. Not that a fist would be very effective against the concrete skin of vampire.

The echoes abruptly cut off. I relaxed a millimetre.

"Leave her be. She'll come round eventually."

The sound was muffled. I strained my ears, attempting to uncover the identify to whoever was speaking.

Unexpectedly, I felt drowsy, weak. The rock I was currently leaning against suddenly felt softer, warmer; more comfortable. Inviting. I closed my eyes without much further thought, and allowed myself to submit to the darkness.

"She'll have to make her first kill tonight. I trust you can handle that."

David's voice broke through my dreams. She...who was she?

Me. I was she. God damn it! I'd fallen asleep, again! David wanted me to kill someone. Tonight. How was I going to talk my way out of it? Here we go again...

I opened one eye, with some difficulty. My eyes were crusty from sleep, my back strained from sleeping in such an unnatural position. I was not going to be in good shape for fighting, if it came to that, while I was sleeping in these conditions.

Another thought threw me off that train of thought; who was David talking to anyway?

"Why tonight?"

I struggled to remember that voice...I couldn't put a name to it. It was beyond frustrating, I could feel that I knew it, just under the surface, but I couldn't reach it. Don't you just hate it when you can't recall names?

"She's too dangerous to be left half-human. After this she won't be able to resist."

Neither David nor the name I couldn't recall, were taking any pains to lower their voices, which led me on to believe that either they couldn't care less if I overhead, or, which I thought was likelier of the two, they believed I was still asleep.

"What do you suggest I do?" The voice was calm, although the question was not. Evidently he wasn't confident about this task.

"Use your imagination, Dwayne."

Dwayne. The voice belonged to Dwayne. It was ironic in the fact that the vampire I had initially approached was also the one who would be attempting to persuade me to do the unspeakable. Almost like I had chosen the cause of my demise...or something which was on par with my demise.

After all, that is what vampirism is, isn't it? It kills you. Your heart stops beating, your lungs stop inhaling and exhaling and your skin grows cold. Sounds oddly familiar to a corpse, doesn't it?

I guess Dwayne nodded in response, as I heard David walk away, call to Paul and Marko, and leave the cave. Dwayne approached, a few seconds following their departure.

Thinking quickly, I snapped my eyes shut again, resuming my earlier sleeping position. I worked to keep my breathing light and regular.

It was difficult not to react to his presence; however I kept my face smooth and composed, hopefully fooling him into believing I was still asleep.

Evidently my acting skill had gone up a notch, as Dwayne did not sound anywhere near the range of suspicion, as he shook my shoulder, gentler than I would expect from a vampire.

"Wake up."

As to not appear like I was faking, I made a production out of rubbing my eyes, stretching and returning his gaze as innocently as possible.

"What do you want?" My words came out frostily. I wasn't sure how to act – if I were to behave hostilely surely this would just quicken their process of forcing me into circumstances? But if I were to comply with some of their actions, and behave meekly, they may take too much of an advantage. It was a lose-lose situation.

Dwayne appraised me with a bored eye, "we're heading out."

Although I could predict his answer, I chose to ask the obvious question, "where?"

"To the boardwalk. David likes it up there."

I looked up at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Why the hell am I going?"

Not that I didn't already know the answer.

"Well, do you want to stay here by yourself?"

I considered his question for roughly a half a second, "might be nice to get some peace."

"Aw, c'mon, just come with us for a little while, you might have...fun" He paused on the last word, as though he wasn't sure how to put it.

I laughed at that.

"I know what your idea of "fun" is, and believe me, no, I won't like it. Besides, I'm not here to have fun."

Why were these vampires doing this to me? I couldn't fathom it.

The fact that they were actually making an effort to be civil, was throwing me. I'd always been told the same thing, by a countless number of people, "vampires are coarse, rude, unsociable, uninteresting, and impossible to commiserate with." Up till now, I'd always believed that.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to stick by that.

"Well, what else are you going to do? Sit alone in this corner forever? It won't kill you to come along." He tone was verging on pleading, but I knew it was only an act.

Actually, I think it just might kill me.

"Actually, I have other things to concern myself with."

Like killing you.

"Like...?"

Bet he'd get a nasty surprise if I spoke my thoughts aloud.

"I'm not willing to discuss it with you." Not now, not ever.

"Why? I won't tell anyone." Dwayne shifted his weight slightly, and I sensed uneasiness. I waited for a moment, and, after a second of deliberation, he appeared to settle on something. The tension left his body, and suddenly he seemed able to remain calm.

I laughed as I finished my momentary examination.

"Sure you won't. Anyway, who says you'll want to hear it? I don't think you'll want to know. They're my issues, not yours."

My half-smile fell from my face, as I pondered my sentence. What was I doing here? Why was I even bothering? I wouldn't be getting out of this alive...

"Well, I could try and help." Dwayne paused for a moment, before settling down next to me.

I smiled without humour, at the use of the word, "help," as if anyone could help me.

"No one can help me."

How true that statement was.

Dwayne changed tack, "Why do you hate us so much?"

Oh, I could list countless ways...

"Because of what you do. Your kind is unnatural, living off the energy of others. What you do is not humane."

I sighed, as I spoke. It was actually kind of difficult to really explain why I hated his kind. Of course, the role my brother had played was a huge part of it, but I wasn't going to tell him that. Pity is not welcomed in any form. I didn't know if a vampire could pity, but either way, I didn't want it. Besides, it wasn't like he was interested.

"How do you know? You've never tried it. And who says we chose this?" He stared at me questionably.

I drew my knees to my chest, as I considered his questions. How could I possibly explain how it felt? The excruciatingly painful feeling of watching someone you love die. The unimaginable horror of knowing that you just witnessed their murder. How could I ever tell anyone any of this?

It is not something I care to recall, but it's always there. Something which is unearthed in nightmares, and in times of sorrow. Something which I'll never be without.

"I've seen it, time and time again. Do you ever stop and think about what this does to their families, their friends? You wreck an entire family's well being, all in the space of a few short minutes."

I closed my eyes, as I recounted my family. A single tear ran down my cheek, and I leant forward, intending for my hair to fall across my face. I couldn't allow a vampire to see me showing weakness. They'll take any advantage which is shown to them.

"Are you speaking from personal experience?" His voice was relatively soft. It drew me out of my reverie.

I gathered myself, trusting my voice to not betray me, "It makes no difference to you either way." It came out harshly spoken. Even Dwayne looked considerably taken aback.

"Well..." He trailed off, as I fixed him with a hard stare. I couldn't let a vampire ever gain the upper hand; I had to forget about my family. That was all in the past.

"Exactly. You don't know what it's like. I could never do that to someone."

It disgusted me to even think about...to kill someone...to rip apart a family. Did the vampires never stop and think? This person had a future, friends, family, and pets, everything everyone deserves. Everything they would be denied after meeting one of the vampires.

"How do you know? You know nothing about me. I could have been through worse, but you don't care 'he's just a disgusting vampire, what does he know of hurt', that's all you people ever think!"

Dwayne sounded so defensive that it took me a second to respond.

"Because it's true! You kill people on a daily basis!" I glared at him, silently asking him to counter that.

"You think we can help it! You think we can just stop! You think we like destroying peoples' lives and families! Well, you're wrong! It's nothing like that. If I... we could just stop, everything would be easier. You have no idea." He looked away, as if embarrassed to have revealed so much.

Truth was, of course I had considered the possibility that a vampire could find their life and appetite repulsive and barbaric. But clearly their desire to feed and survive overrode any anxiety they felt over the ending of another's life. And it was because of this, I could never summon up any compassion where vampires were concerned.

"If that's the case, what are you really doing here?"

"Where else can I go? David and the others are the closest thing I have to family." He returned his gaze to me, lifting his chin slightly.

"But the others seem pretty much all for the killing part. Maybe you've forgotten, but he was this close to killing me, and he certainly seemed to relish the prospect."

It was hard to think from the predators' point of view. Dwayne didn't know what it was like. The knowledge that your death is merely seconds away, the undiluted terror which ran through your veins. It was a peculiar feeling. Something only a person who has experienced it could explain.

The only correlation which rises to mind is that terror you feel when you catch sight of movement out of the corner of your eye. Your heart leaps into your throat, and for a moment you're completely terrified. Only when that happens, you can take a second glance, and you realise nothing is there. With death, there is no double take.

"All for it? We don't have any other choice. This is the way things are, we have to do it or...or we'll die."

I knew this was their favoured argument. Survival of the fittest and all that. Did Dwayne think I was an idiot?

And so, I responded with my favoured retort, "so it's better to end many lives, just to save one?"

He grimaced, "you don't know what the thirst is like. In a little while you'll feel the way we do, you won't be able to stop yourself."

I responded without thinking, "I'd rather kill myself." I told him, flatly.

"You know, I used to think as you do. But things can be good. David helped me. He can help you too." He smiled at some memory.

I laughed, "I don't need help. I don't need this."

"Please, just consider...David...please just stay." He seemed incapable of forming a coherent sentence.

The fact that he had brought up David irked me. David was the reason I was here...I was trying very hard to forget about the fact that he existed.

"Why do you keep on about David?"

"He's the one that..." He hesitated, "brought us all together."

His expression sparked an idea off in my mind...if I could form some sort of relationship, friendship with Dwayne, perhaps he'd be my ticket out of here. I only had to feign some sort of care for him, and then hopefully he'd be susceptible to my attempts.

"And why do you want me to stay?" I looked him, for the first time, in the eye.

"I like having people to talk too. Other than the guys, I mean. Paul and Marko are a little too out there for me. And David, well, he isn't exactly the most talkative person."

Maybe this would be easier than I had originally anticipated.

"You and I don't exactly seem to agree on these choices though...I'm sorry, but I just can't do it." Apologising to a vampire...ugh, but it was necessary.

"You know, I do know how you feel. But I guess...I...I can't help you." He sighed, staring at the cracks on the walls.

"I know you can't. I'm not expecting that of you." Hopefully he'd be changing his mind soon.

"I...I would help you...if I could." He smiled regretfully, "there isn't a lot I can do."

"It's all right, I know I've not got long...but it's enough time for me to do what I have to do." I threw him a sideways glance, "I'm sorry for it now, after talking to you, but...I have to." I looked away, afraid my expression would betray my real emotions. Sorry. As if I would ever be sorry for killing a vampire.

"Have to? Have to what, Sasha? What're you going to do?" He sounded genuinely concerned, and for the first time a hint of doubt crept into my mind. It was one of two things, either he'd been on the same wavelength as I had, and had somehow had the exact same idea, only he was using it to keep me here, or he did care. In which case, my plan was working. I had no means of knowing which it was.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you..." I suspected if he knew too much, I'd be losing more than my life, if that's possible.

"I've told you more about me in 10 minutes, than I've told Paul and Marko in a decade. And you can't tell me?"

If he was playing the same game I was, then he was good. But not good enough.

"It's not anything which is like that. I have to do something...something I regret now." The only thing I regretted was getting into this situation.

"If you regret it already, then why do it?" His tone was probing, pressing me for an answer. I didn't like the feeling.

I attempted to shrug it off, "this is why I never talk to vampires; you blur the line between what is right and wrong. I have to do it. I promised." I wasn't completely lying, there was truth in that.

"Why don't you talk to vampires? Are you afraid that underneath, they're normal people? Or... you might like one a.a.a..and one might like you back?" He sounded flustered, struggling to get his words out. Once again, I wondered if our ideas had concurred. After all, what was with this amiability?

"Maybe...my kind of people don't converse with the likes of you, and I guess it was drilled into me that your mind games would get me killed..." If they haven't already.

"Have you changed your mind about that?" On the surface, he sounded hopeful, buoyant even. However I suspected this was much more about what my following actions were going to be, rather than if I really was still scared of their killing me.

Ridiculous. As if I could fear them killing me now. There is a lot worse than death. Vampirism being one of them.

"I'd like to believe that you aren't going to kill me, so yes, I hope that I can trust you not to." Trust a vampire? That certainly would never happen.

"I won't, I promise you that." Dwayne blushed. I knew why, he was laying it on a little thick.

"Not even if David tells you to?" I asked him, scepticism evident in my tone.

"Um..." He pretended to think it over, "no. I promise."

Any promise made by a vampire is void.

I leant forward a little, "good." To my relief, I also blushed, so perhaps I was getting better at this acting malarkey.

He smiled shyly, "so are you going to come. I mean I'll be with you."

"I never thought a vampire could be anything except a mindless killer...it's really quite odd this." I shook my head, "I'm so confused."

I was far from confused, my plan was as clear as day in my head. He was falling for this far easier than I would have dared hope for.

He laughed "Yeah, life's like that sometimes. You sort of have to just go with it, or it eats you alive." Another chuckle escaped him.

It suddenly occurred to me that I'd not spoken to Pyro, he'd skin me alive if I didn't talk to him soon.

"Ah! Errr...I have to go out for a bit."

"Will you meet me... us up on the boardwalk in a little while? Please." He beseeched me with his eyes. I just managed to hold back the laughter which was threatening to spill out.

"I know what David wants me to do, and I'm afraid that if I do that, he'll force me into it." Not that I'd be allowing David to force me into anything.

"Well, I'll be there with you. I can help you get through it." I caught his condescending tone.

I spoke sharply, sharper than I had intended, "get through it?"

"Look don't think about that now. Just promise me you'll come up. For me?"

I wanted so badly to hit him for this, like his presence would help anything! The thought of this whole sham was sickening.

I struggled to keep calm, and took a step backwards, in the event I lashed out, I wouldn't be able to make contact with him, thus avoiding a fight.

"I thought I'd made things clear? I'm not doing it."

"Please. Just don't make David mad, or he will force you into it. I wouldn't." He leant closer.

His sudden proximity made it difficult to hold onto my resolve.

"That's the choice then? Do it willingly or be forced? Pretty stark options, if you ask me."

"I know you wouldn't do it willingly. Who would? I'm just saying, I can try and help you through this. If you'd let me." He looked straight into my eyes.

I backed up again, struggling to keep my wits, I stopped moving as I reached the back of the wall, without breaking his gaze, "And how do you propose to "help" me?"

"Well...I'll be there with you." He leant closer, "I'll do whatever you need me to do."

I knew what he was going to do, almost before he did. And I, like a complete numbskull, didn't stop it. His lips connected with mine, and the unfamiliar sensation sent chills through me. It was only a moment later when the realisation of what I was doing hit me. Kissing a vampire. Bloody hell.

Attempting to make it look natural, I broke it off, feigning the need for oxygen.

"I don't think we should be doing this..." That was certainly true. What the hell had I been thinking?

"Why?" Dwayne's eyes were bright, feverish.

"Because...because you and I can't...I mean...we can't..." My thoughts were scrambled, and now I was the one struggling to form a coherent sentence. Damn vampires and their charms!

"We can't what? What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of getting close to someone or getting hurt? 'Cause I wouldn't hurt you." He already had. Simply being a vampire hurt me, because, in truth, Dwayne wasn't so bad, for a vampire...

"I'm not afraid of getting hurt...I'm afraid of hurting you." And it was inevitable, I would be hurting Dwayne. I was using him to get out of here. It almost saddened me that it had to be him that I was using, as he seemed to be the most compassionate of the lot of them. Almost.

"Me? But I thought...you liked..." He looked down again.

I tried to harden my heart, to no avail. I ended up coming out with a softened blow, "Don't get me wrong! I like you...I like you more than I thought was physically possible for me, and that's why this is dangerous." I shook my head, "this is...I don't know what this is..." Honestly, I really was losing sense of control over my actions.

"This is two people who like each other. What are you talking about dangerous?" Dwayne seemed so genuinely concerned that it broke my heart to think that it was just my luck to have to use the one vampire who might have been not half bad. Pity. It really was.

"But that's where you're wrong...I'm not a person, I'm some weird hybrid now..." Another truthful statement, I wasn't having to do much lying.

I took a deep breath, hoping this was the right way to go about things, "do you know what I am?"

"Of course, I've seen that mark before. But after everything, would you hurt me?" His tone was undemanding, understanding even.

He kept playing with my head, and I was tying myself in knots here.

I looked down, trying to keep a clear head, "It's been my duty for a long time. They took my brother...and I promised him I'd do everything to stop things like that happening again. I thought it would be easy to wipe you lot out...I was warned about you. But I didn't listen. And now, I am paying the price. I think...I think I'll just have to get away from here. I can't kill you." I laughed sadly, "I just can't."

Maybe that was a little too truthful...but at least now; he wouldn't suspect me of foul play. Was I being too complying? I wasn't sure but he seemed to accept my story. With a bit of luck, he'd help me escape from here, and then one of David's own would be the cause of it.

He smiled, "I'm glad I mean that much to you, for you not to kill me. I think I'd be the same in your position. But..." He trailed off, and his expression hardened. A hint of remorse floored me, this was becoming terribly difficult to stick by my decision.

Dang it. Don't say "but!"

"But?"

"But...I'm not sure David will let you get away. You know so much about us." He sighed, his smile slipping from his face.

"It doesn't matter; I don't plan on lasting long. He'll just speed the process along, I suppose."

I was, once again, not really lying. Even if I got to Dwayne to help me to escape, I would die quite quickly. I wouldn't be killing anyone, and eventually I'd starve. But it was a small price to pay in return for my humanity.

"I didn't mean that he'd kill you..."

I shook my head, "I don't want to be held prisoner."

"No, he wouldn't do that either."

"So, what would he do?"

An edge of anxiety was creeping into my voice, and I started to worry that perhaps my plan wasn't working. It seemed Dwayne and David were the ones pulling the strings.

"He'd...he'd force you to kill someone and become a full vampire. For trying to escape; he might pick one of your friends for you to kill."

Pyro. Pyro could, quite easily, take it into his head to come after me. I could only pray he would just assume I'd been too busy to call. I was only kidding myself, of course he'd become concerned, he'd specifically asked me to keep him updated.

"He can't force me to kill anyone. As for the friends? I have none, none in Santa Carla, anyway."

Hopefully Dwayne would pass this information along, and David would forget about that design.

"Oh, but he can, His influence is so strong. And what about those boys? The Frogs?"

I struggled to think of a response, I didn't like those kids, but I owed them. They had saved me, and I acknowledged that; I couldn't let David or the others take it into their heads to murder them.

"They aren't friends. I don't understand why he wants me to. I'm nothing special." I changed the topic, attempting to drive the conversation away from killing.

"You don't see yourself clearly. You're a threat; David doesn't do well with threats." Dwayne shrugged, as though it was obvious.

I decided now was the time to really test my scheme out.

"But I don't want to be a vampire!" I deliberately allowed my voice to raise an octave, "please don't force me!"

"You know I wouldn't force you. But...David's so different from me. So..." He paused, struggling to find a suitable word, "forceful."

I held my breath and determined now was the best time to do what I had planned. "I have to get out of here..."

"Wait..." He trailed off, and thought about it."No...go. I'll stall David for as long as I can, but he'll be able to read my mind eventually."

An undeniable feeling of satisfaction overwhelmed me. So maybe these vampires weren't that smart.

I could afford to appear reluctant; it made this whole thing more plausible, "I don't want you to be put into that position."

"Well, I'll say you had some things to take care of, which is true...in a way."

Another twinge of something flowed through me. Regret? Unhappiness? Or was it simply a small dose of guilt?

"I...I can't let you run the risk that he might...I don't know, become annoyed?" I tried to squash down any unfamiliar emotions. This is what I had to do for survival.

"Who knew you'd care so much for a vampire. I have to go; he'll become suspicious... I'll...I'll say I'm coming looking for you."

If only he knew...But he couldn't come looking for me!

"Does this mean I'll never see you again?" Suddenly I felt oddly hopeful, like I _wanted _this. But that conflicted with everything! I couldn't actually care about a vampire...right?

"I'm sure we'll find each other again. And anyway, if you're gone long enough and David gets over it, I will come and find you." The words seem like a threat, but he tacked a reassuring smile on, and I felt comforted.

I shook my head, trying to clear these thoughts. Was this another vampire mind game? Or had Dwayne guessed my designs, and was just countering them?

Either way, I had to leave. Now.

"Well, if you're sure..." I spared him one last glance. There was no contradicting it; I did feel a little remorseful. Luckily for me, I'd be getting away from here, away from him. Maybe then I would be able to be lucid.

"Thanks...for everything." I figured that even if he didn't know what I was really thanking him for, it made me feel slightly better.

"I am. I'd do anything for you. Be careful out there." He grinned, and once more discomfort hinted at me. This had been easy. Too easy.

"Sure I will." After another beat of silence, I quickly rose and headed to the exit of the cave. His eyes followed in my wake, and I hesitated again. Did he know what I was planning? Had he known that I'd used him as a means of escapism?

Most of all, was I only putting myself into hotter water?

So many questions and yet no answers.


	9. Blood Tears

A/N Sorry I've taken longer than usual to update, I was having trouble with this chapter. I'd like to thank anyone who has read this (: and I'd also like to say that as for the review concerning The Chosen, I was unaware they were similar, as I did have ideas suggested to me by a friend, and when I asked about it, yes, I realise now that some of it is too close. I'll change those parts, when I get the time. (: Hope you all enjoy! Oh and I'd also like to mention that in this, Max doesn't exist.

Chapter 9: Blood Tears

I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice, and so this time I did not linger. I carefully made my way down the rocks, they looked slippery, and I didn't have to wait long to test my theory out.

Falling, with a resounding crack, my calf made contact with a large, sharp-edged rock. It pierced through the skin like it was nothing more than butter. I bit my lip, determined to not let out the scream which was threatening to spill from my lips.

Tears began to cascade down my cheeks, and I shuddered heavily, praying the moment and pain would pass quickly. Blood was issuing from the wound, pooling into a puddle at my feet.

Oh dear.

Blood and vampires were _so_ not a good mix.

I leant against the wall, as sweat drenched me. This was hopeless. I wondered how Dwayne was holding up; no doubt they'd be on me in seconds.

If life was a challenge, then I'd royally screwed it up. I waited, listening for the vampires' approach. It was deadly silent for a beat longer, and I made the mistake of relaxing.

Maybe Dwayne had held out longer than I had dared to hope?

As if; my luck wasn't that great.

"Over here." Paul's voice resonated through my skull.

I closed my eyes and waited.

_Dwayne's POV_

Sasha had been gone for mere seconds, when David appeared at the entrance of the cave. I knew exactly what he was going to ask me, when he surveyed the cave and saw that I was alone.

"Where's the girl, Dwayne?" He raised one eyebrow.

I was going to have to think fast to stay ahead of David.

"Don't freak out, David. She's gone to take care of some things."

I didn't really know why I was even attempting to defend her, and help her. I doubted it would be worth it.

I could feel his frustration building, but he was trying to remain calm and composed.

David did not betray emotion very often, and now was no exception.

"Some things? You can't fool me. Are you going to tell me willingly, or am I going to have to drag it out of you?"

Despite the fact his voice was expressionless; he couldn't control his features in the same way. A slight hint of a frown crossed his face.

"David, she'll be back, don't worry." I sighed, hopefully convincing him that he was over-reacting. What was the big deal, anyway? She was only just some human.

"Don't worry? You've just let that hunter out of our clutches, where she can escape. You better hope that she hasn't gone far."

He advanced toward me, but I was determined not to show my fear; the fear that had crept into my mind when Sasha had made for the cave entrance, leaving me alone to wait for David. But he was now impatient and I could feel him probing my mind, testing the boundaries.

As always, I was weaker than he was.

"Hmmm, kissing, Dwayne? Was that really necessary?" Gone was the frown, a smirk replaced his initial displeasure.

David was impossible to understand, even after centuries of time together.

Damn. Why was I so weak against him? He'd say something or get into my head and I'd just crumble.

"I...I thought it would...convince her to trust me."

David could sense my nervousness. I stuttered and paused, becoming flustered when I was anxious; something which, try as I might, I just could not correct. Another reason for why I did not speak unless necessary; my thoughts were mine, impossible to explain.

Especially now. I couldn't even explain to myself why I had let her go.

"Well that didn't work, did it?"

I could now feel his intimidating, controlling manner returning.

"What do you mean? She's coming back, isn't she?" I tried my best to sound surprised and I think he bought it, much to my disbelief. I certainly wouldn't have.

"Don't be naive, Dwayne. She has used you, to get away. I asked you to do _one_ thing."

He was irked and he could be extremely cruel when he was like this. What was I going to do? Defiance _didn't_ rank highly with David, if you did; you paid the price. David was, if nothing else, a tremendously controlled vampire.

Sure, he didn't have rules as such, but he expected compliance.

Sometimes, I wondered if he actually had feelings, he never smiled genuinely, he never laughed, unless it was in reaction to another's pain, he never showed any vulnerable emotion. Maybe he was more akin to a robot, than a vampire.

Don't get me wrong; I certainly wasn't some compassionate, kind-hearted vampire. Those didn't exist. Although David and the others would probably try to convince you otherwise. But I could remember being human.

I could remember tears, love, and family. I could remember the touch of a mother, the friendship of another, the anguish of death.

Perhaps vampires grew immune over time, as while I could remember, I no longer felt remorse. Those were the emotions of a human.

I was not human.

I refocused on David.

"David, I'm sorry." My voice emulated his impassive tone.

He sighed heavily.

He looked away, muttering under his breath, clearly speaking to himself, "If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself."

I knew then what he was intending to do. He was sending a message to Paul and Marko.

Sasha can't have got far. She's still half-human, slow by our standards.

They'll be on her in seconds... still; there was nothing I could do. Nor did I _want_ to do anything.

My conscience was clear – I had given her one form of escapism. It was not my fault that David was quite the opposite of an idiot. In fact, it was more likely that she was, for even believing she could pull this stunt, _and_ get away with it.

"Remember, this is your doing." David's sharp voice pulled me out of my reverie.

Oh no. The guilt trail. His favourite form of torture; making out it's your entire fault.

Maybe it was my duty to let him think that I felt bad about this; if he believed that I felt remorse over my actions, he'd leave me alone sooner.

"Can you really blame her for trying? She never wanted this."

_Could_ you really blame her? Few people would actually choose this life, and Sasha was a hunter, which clearly expressed her lack of enthusiasm and joy.

Something I'd never admitted to David was the fact that _I_ had never wanted this. I'd carefully guarded that information, he could never know. I'd allowed him to believe that this was what I had chosen. Quite possibly, this rationalised my ability to empathise with Sasha. Only she had reacted against it with much more distaste. But again, I reasoned, I had had nothing to live for. She, on the other hand, had a life. A life she was not willing to give up.

Humanity was a trait I admired. That was another snippet of information, which could never reach David.

"She still shouldn't have tried this...I guess it's time to teach her a lesson."

I caught the way he said "lesson," it was said with relish, anticipation of what was to come.

"What are you going to do to her?" Could I really be worried about her? What was I doing?

David gave me one of his rare mischievous smirks, "Take a wild guess."

"Are you going to force her to kill someone?" This was the most horrible thing I could think of, I had seen the humanity which had shone through her, that was what had led me to help her, and I knew that as soon as a kill was made, that would irrevocably be gone.

"It's time to break her spirit, once and for all." Again, he looked almost satisfied, as though he knew that whatever he had planned would be effective. Knowing David, it would be.

David has lived for an incomprehensible length of time, he'd never disclosed to us just how long. He never shared details of his past, he never said of how he became a vampire. None of us even knew who his maker was.

I'd never questioned him, but I had my one theory that whatever had happened to David had sucked any and all compassion from him. I suspected David couldn't remember anything of being human, or, rather, he would not allow himself to remember.

He looked toward the entrance of the cave, oblivious to the thoughts flitting through my mind, and as he turned, I saw a glint in his eye.

"David? Don't do something drastic." I spoke quietly, determined to not evoke any further anger from him.

It didn't matter, he wasn't listening anymore, as Paul and Marko dragged Sasha in. Literally kicking and screaming. I looked down and saw a wide gash in her leg and a large blood stain on her trouser leg.

David gave me another sly smirk, "Such concern over a human, Dwayne."

He had heard me. Of course he had.

"I..." He was right. How could I feel anything for her? She was one of those…those hunters; the kind that murder vampires like me. David's right, she just used me to get away. She doesn't care at all.

And I didn't blame her for it.

He returned to looking at her and the boys, "Nice of you to join us."

Paul, the suck up, was clearly happy to please his Master, "It's _our_ pleasure."

Paul and Marko were tight-knit, almost like old women gossiping. They confused me; they both displayed just as much viciousness as David, when in the mood, but they were also affectionate. Paul enjoyed interacting with humans, and, unlike David, he didn't only consume them; now and then, a lucky human would get off the hook, simply from Paul's fondness for them. Simply put, Paul liked to have a pet. Marko was more closely linked with David, his angelic looks drew victims like flies to honey, and he had grown increasingly sadistic, playing with his food, stringing it out.

It turned my stomach to watch David and Marko hunt together.

"Glad to hear it, Paul." He focused on Sasha, "I wouldn't try this again."

Sasha clearly used every ounce of hatred she had for him, as she responded in her mocking manner, "or what?"

He was next to her in a flash, "You don't really want to know."

"Oh but I do." Her words were filled with sarcasm. I wanted to smile at how she so easily defied him, oh how it annoyed him.

I certainly was not prone to deliberately provoking David into antagonism; however it was undoubtedly amusing to witness.

"Are you stupid, Sasha? Or are you just incapable of grasping the predicament you are in?"

His words were designed to sting, to upset, to incite emotion of any kind. She felt them. She squirmed and yanked, intending to get free, she longed to hurt him for that. But her efforts were futile; she relaxed back onto her knees.

"Just let me go! What's the worst you can do? Have you try and force me to kill someone?" She laughed mockingly, "Hate to break it to you, but that won't work."

"Oh, won't it?" He walked round to face her and stood over her in an intimidating style. He then bent down, so he was right in her face, "And what are you going to do to save yourself, exactly?"

She looked disgusted at his close proximity and spitefully replied, "Who said anything about being saved?"

Again, I wanted to smile. She had such determination; the likes of which I'd never seen from a human. She reminded me of someone...I just couldn't place who...

"Well, you're going to want to be saved, when I'm through with you." He looked up at Paul and Marko. Another smirk sailed into view.

She looked up into his eyes, confused, "Through with me? What're you going to do?"

"You'll see." He bent down this time and rested on one knee, and I knew what she was going to do, before he did. Quite a feat, as David was usually very perceptive and his reactions were lightning fast.

She spat right in his face and Paul and Marko sucked in a shocked breath, "I hate you."

A hint of complete loss of control flitted across his face, but he took a deep breath and continued, "You hate me now, but you'll wish you'd never been born, after this."

Sasha had really done it now. As I mentioned before, David very rarely showed any legitimate emotion, it was all an act. But this irritation was definitely proving to be genuine.

He gripped her arm tightly. An image darted across my mind, and I winced as I got a picture to match the idea which had taken root in his head.

I couldn't let him do this.

"David…" He turned and looked straight into my eyes. His are like cold, empty, bottomless pools revealing nothing. I broke his gaze and looked to Sasha instead.

"Dwayne, leave it." Her voice was hard, infuriated by my interference.

Generally, it wouldn't have even occurred to me to stop David. I didn't care about her – or any other human, for that matter.

But she doesn't know what she's getting herself into.

He gave me one last evil smile and headed to the back of the cave, Sasha squirmed furiously, as David dragged her along behind him.

He was following through his scheme. How could he be so cruel? How could he hurt another human being in that way? I may have killed a good many people, more than I could count, but I never strung it out. I never hurt them intentionally. I only did what was requisite for survival.

For all of Sasha's defiance and determination, David was right; this would break her.

Paul and Marko joined me on the other side of the cave, and took up seats next to the wall, while I remained standing, unbelieving of what he was about to do.

"Come away, Dwayne. Have a seat." Paul called from behind me, my thoughts momentarily interrupted. I backed away and headed over to them slowly, as Sasha gave a high pitched scream, making me start.

I sat huddled in the chair, as I heard the sound of tearing fabric. Sasha was now screaming more than ever as she now knew what was coming. I should…no, must do something. But how can I? Paul and Marko would never let me intervene, and even if they did, I couldn't overpower David.

My thoughts were again interrupted by another scream. Then I could hear crying, and Sasha's soft voice through the sobs.

"David. Please. Stop. Just stop. David, please." Then came another scream, David evidently did not care about how much he hurt her or made her cry. And how could he? Screaming was that irritating noise humans made, when in fear. Screaming was simply a permanent part of our lives. As though screaming would save them...

David was not one easily swayed by pleading either, few got around him that way. On second thoughts, _no one_ did.

"Aren't you two going to talk? You're not going to sit in silence and listen, are you?" I probably snapped too often at them. But I couldn't take this anymore. I had to drown out the sound somehow.

"Hey, what's with you? You look like a guy with a guilty conscience." They shared an almost 'knowing' look and I could feel frustration building within me.

Just then, a strangely tense silence fell. No one spoke; it was like no one even dared to breath.

Cutting through the stillness, a 'snap' could be heard, only to be followed by a horrifying scream from Sasha. I already knew what it was. It was the unmistakeable sound of the breaking of a bone. Undoubtedly Sasha's; and it obviously hurt like hell.

At that moment David started whispering. But he probably knew we would try to catch it, so spoke with deliberate quietness, it wasn't even audible by vampire ears. Shortly after came the sound of redressing; Sasha was sobbing quietly, leaving us with the conclusion that David was finished with her.

He strolled away from the bed as if nothing had happened before turning and giving me a sly grin. How I wanted to hurt him. Just to plant my fist in his face, would make me feel so amazing. He's trying to torture me and its working.

I'm not in _love _with Sasha, but I most certainly don't think she should have been put through this. From now on I will say what I really want to, and if I want, I will stand up for Sasha, because I'm not letting this happen for a second time.

_Sasha's POV_

I pulled my knees to my chest, grimacing as my bruised skin made contact. Tears cascaded freely and heavily down my cheeks. For the first time in my life, I made no move to wipe them away; to hide them from another's prying eyes. There was no point now.

My wrist flapped uselessly. David had snapped the bone, snapped it, as though it was nothing more than a twig. The pain had seared through me, it was indescribable; especially when coupled with the horrendous thing he had put me through. He had laughed, when the bone shattered. My anguish was amusing to him.

David's back was to me, and I fought the urge to scream, to hurt him as he had hurt me. I felt violated, violated in the worst way possible.

I had never foreseen this.

I gripped the sheets tighter, my knuckle whitening from the tension; I tucked my remaining hand under my arm, fighting the wave of vertigo which threatened to overtake me. I closed my eyes monetarily; attempting to block out this newly formed memory. If I could only forget it...allow the numbness to flow through my limbs.

I felt, rather than heard, David, as he approached me again. I tensed, my muscles locking. My eyes remained closed.

He lent in close, and brushed my hair away from my neck. Again, I flinched at his contact. He made a sound, and I thought it sounded akin to a chuckle, but I couldn't be sure.

His lips brushed my ear, as he whispered something.

I was too taken with my disgust, and undiluted fear, to take in his words. I focused on my breathing counting each breath, the seconds ticking, until, finally, David pulled away, leaving silently.

A fresh wave of sobs broke through, and I huddled into a ball, wishing for nothing more than the oblivion of sleep. The alternative I didn't even consider – I had survived this, I could survive anything now.

My head pressed against the pillow, as images continued to play across my lids, and I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, praying that eventually the images would fade, and I could succumb to the naivety that came with dreams. There, I could forget, even for just a moment, what had happened here.

I was slipping into unconsciousness, when I saw David's lips materialize in my mind, forming the words I was yet to drag up from my subconscious.

"_Maybe you should break the rules more often."_


	10. Resolution

A/N Sorry, I haven't updated in ages! I really hope you like this chapter. (:

Chapter 10: Resolution

_Pyro's POV _

I stared at the photograph intently; my knuckles gripped the table tightly. A bead of sweat rolled across my forehead.

Sasha had been gone for over a week now, and I hadn't heard a word from her. What the hell had happened?

I didn't want to fear the worst, but I had warned her...

A sharp ra-ta-ta sounded to my right, and I looked up expectantly. Izzie stared at me from the doorway, a stack of files clutched to her chest.

She narrowed her eyes for a long beat, "what're you doing?"

I dropped the photo, allowing it to slip beneath the desk. My gaze fell onto her face, "what is it, Izzie?"

She studied me for a moment longer, before shrugging it off, "I have nothing to do."

I glanced at her files, raising my eyebrow.

Izzie sighed, "Okay, I have nothing interesting to do."

"So?"

She bounced on her heels, "what were you really doing?"

I ran a hand through my already messy hair, "same old, same old."

She frowned, "don't give me that. You look like something the cat dragged in."

I forced a smile, "gee, thanks, Izzie. I feel much better now."

Her frown deepened, and I regretted my word choice.

"Listen, I'm absolutely fine. Don't you have some vampires to bust?"

She smiled slightly, "its ghosts you bust, Pyro."

I slapped a hand to my forehead, "I knew I was missing something."

After lingering for a moment longer, Izzie turned away, a sad smile pasted to her lips, "if you decide you do want to share, let me know?"

I nodded tersely, "of course."

She backed out the room, holding my gaze. Once she was gone, I sighed heavily, returning my focus to the sheets of paper which lay in front of me.

_Sasha._

Why hadn't she listened to me? Why had she gone off on her own?

_Because you let her._ The snide voice was persistent at the back of my mind.

I shook my head vigorously, irritated that I was allowing this to affect me. I had known Santa Carla was dangerous; I myself had spent a period of time there. I had believed Sasha was ready. Evidently, I had been wrong.

Abruptly, I stood up, the sudden movement rocked my chair, and it swung beneath, teetered dangerously on the edge, and eventually collapsed.

I made no move to catch it, although I could have prevented the fall. The connection of the chair hitting the floor rang through my ears, and I waited for the inevitable visit from whoever had overheard.

"Pyro?"

I looked up slowly. Nesta stood by the door, tentatively tracing the doorframe. Her beauty was enough to catch any man's breath, but Nesta was hard work. She and I had briefly been together, but it hadn't worked – she still remained one of my closest friends, however.

Wearily, I repeated my earlier words spoken to Izzie.

"I'm fine."

Just like Izzie had, she appeared unconvinced. Unlike Izzie, she didn't give up as easily.

"Heard anything from her?" She looked ill at ease, her small frame slightly hunched.

I looked at my hands, afraid she'd believe I was favouring Sasha over the others, it wasn't right for me to harbour so much concern over only one of them. I knew this, yet I still did it.

"Who?"

She laughed uneasily, "Sasha, of course."

"Nothing." I didn't enjoy lying, but it was necessary.

"Oh, I see. What're you going to do?" Nesta moved forward, stepping over the threshold.

I hesitated, wondering what her motives were; it was no secret she and Sasha did not get along.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?" I winced, my voice sounded accusing and demanding – not what I had intended.

She twisted her hands, "I was just asking. I mean, I didn't know if you were going to go after her, or what."

Her words reminded me of the fact that I didn't have a clue as to what I was going to do, "or what, indeed."

Nesta moved closer, pulling out a chair beside me, settling into it, "so, you don't have a plan?" her volume had increased slightly, amused by the situation. Nesta really didn't like Sasha. I'd never understood the reason behind their mutual abhorrence for one another.

It bugged me to see this division between us, it didn't help anyone when there was hatred around us, and they ought to save it for the vampires. Plus, I didn't like the fact she was questioning my ability, "of course I do." A blatant lie if there ever was one.

"So?" Rightfully so, Nesta wasn't convinced.

"So, I don't have to tell _you._" I lifted up random sheets of paper, feigning busyness.

Nesta sniffed, "I never said you did. I was just concerned about her." Hmmmm, seems as though lying is becoming an innate part of us all. As if I needed further proof, her tone was as insincere as I'd ever heard it.

I narrowed my eyes, "is there anything else?"

"Well, no...I just wanted to know..." She lowered her gaze, and I sighed, feeling bad for snapping at her. I was on the edge and she wasn't helping.

"Sorry for snapping, Nesta. Today hasn't been so great." I forced myself to smile at her.

She smiled in return, only I was pretty certain hers was much more genuine, "Aw, tell me. I'm here for you." A slight sense of mollification gripped me.

"Nothing to tell, I'm supposed to keep you all safe, and I haven't done that."

I'd barely had time to register her proximity, when she had her hand on my shoulder, "you've tried your best. We couldn't have asked for a better leader."

I smiled, remembering the last time Sasha had said something along those lines, after my last vampire kill...another hunter had got caught in the cross-fire...

Without thinking, I placed my hand atop hers, imagining Sasha's face. "I'm lucky you lot are so understanding."

"I'll always understand." Nesta leaned closer, but I still saw Sasha's face behind my lids. This was where I should have stopped. But I didn't.

"I hope so..." I felt tired, heavy.

She gripped my shoulder tighter, and still, ever still, I saw Sasha, "I knew _you'd _understand."

"I'm here for you, whatever you need."

I refocused a little, "Nesta, what're you thinking about?"

"Hmmm?" She shook her head, "oh, nothing important." She smiled widely, showing her teeth.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say?" I took pains to ensure my voice was gentle this time.

"Only that I'm always here for you." If I'd been in the right state of mind, I'd have laughed at the soppiness of that statement, only neither us of seemed quite on top of things.

"I know that." I returned her blinding smile, feeling slightly apprehensive.

"Good." She seemed to gather herself, before leaning forward, her lips pressing against my cheek, her hair falling forward to caress my jaw.

And then, it was Sasha I saw, Sasha I felt, and I wanted more. I pulled Nesta closer.

"Pyro, I-" I silenced the voice which was oh so obviously not Sasha's with a kiss. Her lips were so soft and sweet, that I never wanted to pull back, "Sasha."

And then I awoke, as Nesta stared at me with wide eyes, "Wh- what?"

I was a classic idiot. "I uh...I meant-"

Nesta glared at me, swinging her hair away from her eyes, "you meant what?"

I scrambled to salvage the situation; this wouldn't help anything, "Nesta. I meant Nesta." My voice sounded false even to my own ears.

"You..you bloody liar! You wanted her the whole time!"

I winced at her accusations, she was right...

But I couldn't tell her that, "I didn't. I implore you to believe me."

"How can I? You just kissed me and then called me Sasha! What the hell was going on inside your head?"

Good question.

"It was a mistake! You know that I'm worried, and it was playing inside my mind."

Nesta tossed her hair, sat up, and moved away, "hmph, fine." She rolled her eyes as means of a parting shot.

"Wait! Could you send Izzie in?"

In a split second decision, I decided that I had to do something, I had to talk to someone, and Izzie was the ideal candidate.

Nesta, clearly still irritated, continued to stalk away, tossing a "yeah, whatever," over her shoulder.

I waited impatiently, tapping my fingers against the hardwood, wondering what I could say to her.

"Hey, what's up?" Izzie entered the room at a saunter; most likely pleased I was confiding in her, after our exchange just about fifteen minutes ago.

"Did you hear about Sasha? Or rather lack of, in this case." Izzie was Sasha's friend, she deserved to know, I knew that much.

"No?" Izzie appeared bemused, but I could detect a slight tightening in her eyes, waiting for the inevitable bad news concerning our mutual friend.

"Well that's exactly it. I haven't heard a word since she left." I felt a surge of annoyance, and begun muttering to myself, forgetting Izzie's presence in the room, "even though she promised. Every day she said. Every day."

She tried to be reassuring, "maybe she just forgot?" I caught the doubtful connotations.

I looked at her, "Sasha, supposedly, doesn't forget."

Izzie softened her expression, and tone, "Pyro? You're never usually this bothered."

I shrugged her concerns off; I wasn't that bothered, right? Right.

"Santa Carla is a seriously dangerous place, and I told her so. I was stupid enough to let her go alone."

"It's only been a few days, I wouldn't jump to conclusions." She walked further into room, pushing the door shut behind her, "and what did you do to Nesta? She's in a right state."

I raised an eyebrow, "That's between us."

Izzie frowned, "Pyro, I can only help you, if you let me in."

"Why does everyone keep saying that to me? I can handle it you know." I had thought that I wanted to tell Izzie, but I was becoming less and less certain.

"You can handle what, exactly?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Everything. I wish people would just get off my case." I could feel my previous agitation returning.

Izzie clicked her tongue, "Whoa, calm down, Pyro. Sasha's my friend too."

I sighed, "Sorry. You're probably just as worried about her as I am."

She nodded, "Yes, I am. So what's going on?"

I weighed up my options, tell the truth; tell her a lie; mix a lie with the truth. I settled on the latter.

"I haven't heard from her, and now I'm practically going out of my mind."

She leant in closer, and said, quietly, "but why, Pyro? Why are you going out of your mind?"

I looked away for a minute, unsure of how to respond, how could I possibly explain to her, what I didn't fully understand myself?

"Because I...I care about what happens to her."

Her voice remained soft, "I care too, but Pyro, why is this getting to you so much?"

I felt just so frustrated, that I said something I'd never consciously thought about,

"Because...because, I love her, okay?"

Izzie appeared taken-aback by my outburst, but she recovered, awarding me an ear-splitting smile,

"I know."

She knew? How the hell did she know? Especially when _I_ didn't even know!

I gaped at her, shocked, "You...you know?"

"Of course I know! You're not very hard to read, Pyro. You just needed to admit it to yourself." Her expression was one of self-satisfaction.

I looked away, thinking for a moment, all those illusions, and anxieties about her, maybe...maybe I did need to admit it to myself?

"Maybe...I guess I...I did need to."

She leant forward, placing her elbows on desk, she knew I hated that. I frowned but let it slide.

"So, what're you going to do about it?"

I shook my head, "I don't know." And how could I?

She sighed, disappointed by my limited enthusiasm, "You have to do something! Before it's too late."

I nodded, thinking it over, "yeah, you're right. I'm gonna go get her."

"And what're you going to say?" She laughed, "Don't mess this up."

As if I would! Ahem...

I laughed, intending to lighten the atmosphere, "You might have to help me with that."

Izzie smiled mischievously, an expression which had always worried me, but then she replaced it just as quickly with a frown, "I think I should find her first."

I was, to put it bluntly, flummoxed. I too frowned, copying her expression, "How come?"

Her features rearranged into something suitably uncomfortable, "I think I should prepare her a bit."

I quirked an eyebrow, "For what, exactly?

"For, well, you." She laughed, although it sounded forced.

"Hmmm, I'm not very comfortable with you going to Santa Carla, it's really dangerous."

I was eager to locate Sasha, but I couldn't risk Izzie too.

"I know that, Pyro, but I'll be fine. Sasha has probably got them all anyway."

I shook my head, all tones of humour vanishing, "If she had, she'd be back here."

"Maybe not, maybe she just likes it there." I knew she didn't really believe that.

"Even if she did, don't you think she'd contact us?" Obviously _something_ had to be wrong.

"Lost her phone?" Izzie's voice was verging on desperation.

I moved closer to her, "You're clutching at straws. You know Sasha. You know she'd find a way."

"Perhaps she's just enjoying a sense of freedom." She shrugged in an off-hand manner, but her eyes reflected the true concern she had for Sasha's whereabouts, despite her increasingly lackadaisical attitude.

I shook my head, hoping to pull her out of this odd, static state she was currently in, "Izzie stop. We both know she's not like that."

She laughed, shrugging it off, "you're so cagey." Her expression grew more serious, "anyway, I'll go, and let you know."

I gripped her shoulders, wincing when I remembered Nesta's identical actions less than a hour ago, "I'm not losing someone else, no way. I'm coming too."

Izzie's expression was difficult to read, but I settled on uneasy, "well, I want to talk to her first."

"Fine, fine, whatever. You two can have your girl time, but I'm not letting you go alone." It was decided.

She sighed, giving in, "fine. When can we leave?"

"Tomorrow. Before anything _does_ happen."

I felt my stomach muscles tighten momentarily, but I couldn't tell if it was due to the anticipation of reaching Santa Carla, for the fear of what I might find, or something else entirely.

A/N I hope it was okay! (: Not written anything in awhile, so it's not quite as good as I hoped for. But anyhow, hopefully you all liked it. Thanks for reading! And if you have any suggestions for the plot or anything, I'm all ears!


	11. Strange

A/N I haven't updated in ages, sorry about that. I hope this chapter makes up for it, haha. Hope you enjoy. I will also add in, this chapter is in two parts, I'll try to upload the next bit soon. The lyrics at the end are Strange by Tokio Hotel Ft. Kerli.

Chapter 11: Strange

_Sasha's POV_

Things had been quiet as of late. I stayed hidden, away from the vampires. I couldn't bear to face them. It was lucky I didn't really have to eat, for I avoided communication as much as possible. The cave, which had seemed so large upon arrival, were slowly closing in on me. The walls, unbearably close, were evoking an air of claustrophobia, which I was not accustomed to.

The vampires mostly left me to myself, only once or twice approaching to ask a question. I always, without fail, answered with silence. They had given up soon after. Or so I thought.

About a week after that unspeakable incident, I heard the vampires move around the cave, occasionally exchanging words with one another. I felt my muscles tighten, as they usually did, preparing for any type of provocation. I was aching for the opportunity to hurt them, as they had hurt me. The opening was yet to arise.

Paul, much to my surprise, was the first, in a long time, to speak to me.

"Hey, Sasha. You coming night stalking with us?"

I looked at him with disdain, did he really think; after all of this, that I'd want to voluntarily spend time with them?

I stared at him stonily, "No." His expression was insufferably _happy_, what right did he have to smile? Look at what he was doing to me. I was a nervous wreck due to these things; I couldn't be near anyone without remembering.

Marko sighed, and I flinched, unaware of his presence up until that point.

David drew up the rear, "Are you really going to mope around here, for the rest of your immortal life?"

I couldn't bear to look at him, he was a monster. Nothing more, nothing less.

Something was snapping inside of me, however. I didn't like being the meek one. I didn't want to submit to them. I couldn't. I _wouldn't_.

"I. Am. Not. One. Of. You." I took extra care to articulate each word carefully.

There was stillness in the cave for a moment. Marko, ever quiet, turned away, uninterested. Paul and David exchanged glances, before Paul spoke, "Soon to be, sis."

My eyes blazed in anger, "never."

Marko turned his head again, a hint of a smile playing at his lips, Paul connected eyes with him, and they simultaneously began, "ooooh."

David, clearly tiring of their games, "so are you coming or not? Ignoring Batman and Robin over there." He nodded in the direction of Paul and Marko.

I returned my focus back onto the wall, feeling my eyes cloud over, "Not."

I heard, rather than saw, David's impatience.

"In that case, neither am I." All three of the other vampires turned to look at him. David shrugged off their looks.

"I best make sure little Miss Defiance doesn't make a break for it." He looked at Dwayne significantly, "_I_ can handle it."

I didn't want to be left alone with him. I'd much prefer solitude, and as for his concerns about me trying to escape; I think we all knew that that was extremely unlikely, especially after what had happened last time. For the first time, I wondered if Pyro and Izzie might have assumed something had happened. I hadn't been able to contact them. Would they help me? _Could_ they help me? I couldn't even begin to imagine the complications which I now faced. Let's face it, I was as good as dead to them now.

My shoulder gave an involuntary jerk, almost like an irksome fly had landed there, and I kept my gaze connected to the wall. I was desperately trying to think of a reason for him to leave.

"Don't you have to...feed?" My words were laced with disgust and contempt, try as I had to keep them neutral.

"I'll live." He was unbearably close, his words caressing my ear.

I shuddered, willing him to move. Quietly, almost inaudible, I spoke to myself, "not if I had my way."

David didn't react, just continued on, with a smirk present in his voice, "When the boys have gone, I might let you have a go, later."

If only he meant that.

He looked up, switching his gaze to the boys, "Get going you lot." He paused for a moment, looking at Dwayne, "make sure he goes."

I almost pitied Dwayne for the treating he was receiving, because of me. But then I remembered. I didn't care.

Dwayne remained still for a moment, unsure of what to do, but Paul soon prevented that, by grasping Dwayne's jacket and pulling him out.

I closed my eyes briefly, wishing for simply nothing. The smell of blood and decay lingered in the cave, filling my nostrils. That terrible rusty scent...

Unsaid words hung thick in the air, and eventually I could not stand it. I chose to break the silence.

"Why are you still here, David? If I ran, you'd catch me. If I hid, you'd find me." That was painfully obvious.

David was quick to answer, "you know, I do live here; I can stay if I want, but well, why leave you here... by yourself?"

_Because that's what I want! _I wanted to shout at him, make him understand. But what was I thinking? He'd _never_ understand.

"Because...I was under the impression you had to...feed." I had to force the last word; it was unfamiliar and distasteful on my lips, "you haven't left in a while either."

I had had round the clock guarding. Not once had I been left completely alone, and David had made sure I knew it. I wasn't to even _think_ about defying him.

But, if there was one thing David couldn't control, it was my thoughts.

David regarded me thoughtfully, before moving to sit in his chair, "thanks for the concern, but I'm fine."

That finally drew my attention away from the wall. Glaring at him, I thought of his words.

_Concern? As if I could ever concern myself about any of them. Especially him. Why would he even consider that a possibility? Or, was this yet another game?_

"Concern?" My body tensed automatically, repulsed by his line of thought.

He raised an eyebrow, apparently indifferent, "well, you keep checking up on me, I'd class that as concern."

"I harbour no concern over you. I'd kill you, given the opportunity."

I'd fantasised about that continually for the last week, imaging all the ways I could hurt him, as he had hurt me.

David's expression did not alter, "well how about now? I'm sat here, relaxed...vulnerable." I detected the tiniest hint of distaste at the word vulnerable. It was the first time his voice had betrayed an emotion other than what he had intended.

I paused, assuming this to be some sort of trick, "I have nothing to kill you with. You saw to that."

My _brokken _had been removed from my possession and crushed into splinters. It had hurt to watch that; it had been like an extended part of my arm, a limb to me, almost. But he had known that. Of course he had.

"You're not even gonna try? I must say, I'm disappointed." His tone was now amused, sure of my weaknesses'.

I'd show him. I stood up; my heart would have been racing, if it had still been able to beat.

I gritted my teeth, "fine. You asked for it."

Somewhere in my mind, it occurred to me this was the first time a vampire had offered me a chance to slaughter them. What game was he playing? I pushed the thought away, instead searching for something which would do for a makeshift weapon. Anything sharp and pointed would do.

There. From the corner of my eye, I could see an old wooden chair, half broken already. The voice in my head spoke again, whispering reason in my ear, _why would they leave something like that lying around? For fun? Just in case? I don't think so._

Again, I pushed it down, ignoring it. I walked over to the chair, keeping my eyes firmly on David. He stood up, but made no attempt to stop me. I quickly snapped a leg off the chair, aiming to keep one end sharp and deadly. It was perfect. Almost _too_ perfect.

Still. I narrowed my eyes at him, attempting to channel all of my focus and energy onto him. I could do this. I had done this so many times. What made this time different?

Oh, that's right. He was expecting it.

I had to try. Handling the object easily, I fell into my usual position, pleased by the familiarity of the wooden object. David stood relaxed, smiling; undaunted and blasé to my approach.

I moved swiftly, locking my eyes onto his heart. All I had to do was plunge in this stick. And it would all be over. I could almost smell freedom.

Closer and closer I came. The tip was very nearly into his heart, but with swiftness not even I caught, his hand was suddenly closed around my wrist. His death was only millimetres away.

I had missed. This time.

_A freak of nature  
Stuck in reality  
I don't fit the picture  
I'm not what you want me to be - sorry  
_

_Under the radar  
Out of the system  
Caught in the spotlight  
That's my existence_

_You want me to change_  
_But all I feel is_

_Strange, strange_  
_In your perfect world_  
_So strange, strange_  
_I feel so absurd in this life_  
_Don't come closer_  
_In my arms forever you'll be_  
_Strange, strange_

_If you want to fix me_  
_Push me into your fantasy_  
_If you try to get me_  
_Sell me your personality_

_You try to lift me_  
_I don't get better_  
_What's making you happy_  
_Is making me sadder_

_In your golden cage_  
_All I feel is_

_Strange, strange_  
_In your perfect world_  
_So strange, strange_  
_I feel so absurd in this life_  
_Don't come closer_  
_In my arms forever you'll be_  
_Strange, strange_  
_Like me!_

_Strange - When you touch me_  
_Strange - When you kill me_  
_All I feel is strange_

_In my dreams together we'll be_  
_Strange, strange_  
_In your perfect world_

_Strange - I am so afraid_  
_Strange - I am so afraid_

_Strange, strange_  
_In your perfect world_  
_So strange, strange_  
_I feel so absurd in this life_  
_Don't come closer_  
_You'll Die slowly_  
_In my arms forever you'll be_  
_Strange, strange_  
_Like me_


	12. Mismatched Conclusions

A/N Sorry I've taken so long to update this, I'm sure you don't want to hear my excuses :) Not a lot happens in this chapter, so I'm sorry if you find it a bit boring, however I can assure you that I have a lot lined up for this story. I've just got to stop being so darn lazy. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

Chapter 12: Mismatched Conclusions

It was not often I missed, in fact, it was almost unheard of. Now, this is not me suffering from the inability to be modest, but the truth was, if we didn't kill them, they would kill us. Therefore missing was just not an option. Clearly David was not going to take the advantage and kill me, for he has had many opportunities to do just that.

My breath, for the first time, since becoming a vampire, was laboured and heavy. I realised this, and worked on controlling it, wanting to be able to have some form of influence over the situation. Even if it was only my breathing.

He waited, amused at my reaction. A sharp pain drew my attention to my wrist, which was all but healed. I frowned at it; shouldn't it be okay by now? Anyway. I returned my attention to David, "I missed. This time."

He appeared unbothered by my attempt to kill him; a smile spread across his features, "I'm always up for some excitement, you can try me on anytime."

I had the distinct feeling he was teasing me.

"Next time." How I relished the idea, "next time, you won't be expecting it."

A frown replaced his smile, "I know you, Sasha. So I'll always be expecting it." The air seemed to condense around me, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of my stomach.

"You _think_ you know me." Vampires have always suffered from the notion that they know everything – probably due to their extended ages. But just because they knew about things, didn't mean they understood them.

David paused, and then continued on smoothly, "I _do_ know you and better than you think."

I was so damn tired of his games, "You have to sleep sometime."

He smirked, amused, "So do you."

"The difference is, I don't have to sleep hanging upside down, which is the opportune moment."

David moved closer, his footsteps echoing off the hollow walls, his smirk growing wider, "You try it; we'll see how far you get." He spoke as though he had defeated me with a well reasoned argument.

I stepped backwards, raising a hand, "Leave me alone."

"Do you really think you can escape me?" A dark laugh escaped his lips, although no real humour was palpable.

My jaw clenched at its own accord, "As a matter-of-fact...yes."

He watched me for a long moment, "Fine. But, I'll be close, if you decide to try anything."

Flippantly, perhaps foolishly, I turned away, "Whatever."

There was the sound of movement, and when I looked back, David was gone.

The ground had never seemed so inviting. I walked away from the entrance, knowing escapism was both impossible and unwise, and curled up against the back wall. I willed for sleep, unconsciousness, anything to break me away from this terrible reality.

It was difficult to quite grasp what I had I _really_ gotten myself caught up in a coven of vampires? Had I _really_ allowed one to bite me? Had I _really_ just jumped in head first?

The sad truth was that the answer was yes to all of those questions.

I don't know how long I stayed there, crouched against the wall, the stake held tightly in my hand. Time meant nothing to me; it hadn't in a very long time. I never wore a watch, I never checked a clock. I just lived in the world of darkness that was the night. Five long years had dragged past, and I was still as far away from my goal as I had been then. I still didn't know where my brother's killer was, and I was not getting any closer by being here.

How long would I have to endure here? How long before David would allow me freedom? But...even if I got free, I would still be part vampire. Still half-dead. Still never-changing.

It was a vicious cycle, if I were to leave; I would be stuck like this. By staying, I was only getting drawn further into his tangled web. But what was the best thing to do?

My thoughts were interrupted by the loud callings of what could only be those idiotic vampires. One by one, they entered, Marko and Paul bouncing - yes, literally _bouncing_ – and Dwayne trailing up the rear.

I couldn't bear to look at them.

Paul appeared to notice my discomfort, and loudly called out, "Shame you didn't come, Sasha, you missed the fun." He laughed, and Marko joined in.

Dwayne moved further in and sat down, not that far from me. Both Marko and Paul sat on the fountain, Paul twiddling around with the dials on his radio.

I clutched the stake more firmly, prepared to hurt them if necessary. Heck, I would have done it given any excuse.

I caught Dwayne's gaze on my knuckles, which had begun to whiten due to the painfully tight grip I had on the wood. I ignored him.

Eventually, I saw Dwayne stiffen, out of the corner of my eye, and I knew why, without much deliberation.

Marko just confirmed my theory, "Boss is back." He looked in my direction and smiled evilly.

David swaggered in, enjoying the introduction from Marko, his head held high. I couldn't stand his gloating expression.

He turned to speak to Paul and Marko, both speaking animatedly. I closed my eyes, tuning out their chatter, tears threatening at my eyes. Swallowing hard, I blinked them back, disgusted with myself.

I did _not_ cry. Crying got you nowhere, it was pointless, just a sign of weakness. I refused to allow myself to carry through this action. This was as close as I would allow it to come.

Marko again broke my train of thought, "Well, I'm calling it a night, I'm bloody knackered." Paul laughed and elaborated, clearly just for my benefit, "Same. Killing tourists really takes it out of you."

I refrained from going over there and ripping his heart out, but the urge was there, nonetheless.

They both stood, and headed off to what I presumed was their sleeping quarters. Dwayne and David also stood to leave, but paused, as David gave Dwayne a look. He gave me a fleeting glance, and he too followed Paul and Marko. Now it was just David and I.

David moved towards me, and I flinched, cursing under my breath about the effect he had managed to inflict on me.

"Aren't you coming?" I was certain he was messing with me; that laugh underlining his words was a clear giveaway.

I settled with a simple answer, "No." I prayed he would leave it at that.

"Well, you're not going to stay out here by yourself." Evidently I had given him the answer he had expected, and I was paying the price.

"Why not?"

Like earlier, he laughed mirthlessly, "You really think I'm thick enough to leave you out here by yourself? Well, think again."

Maybe he would forget about that, if I showed him I knew the consequences, "Well, there's no point in me running away, is there? You'll just catch up, so what's the problem?"

"I'm glad you've accepted that. But, you're coming anyway."

Then again, maybe not.

"No." I withdrew into myself, pressing up against the wall, attempting to make myself as small as possible.

David hunched down next to me, "You're not getting a choice. Now. Get up." His tone was commanding and cold.

"No." I pointed the stake at him, trying to make it clear I wasn't about to just admit defeat.

He sighed, undeniably growing frustrated. I doubted he was accustomed to people refusing him.

"I'm not in the mood for your games."

Games? I'd give him _games_.

Before I could retort, David moved quickly, grasping my wrist, "Do you want this broken again?" His teeth were gritted, and I gathered he had reached the end of his tether. I had pushed his patience too far, it seemed.

His grip was tight, agonizingly tight, and I couldn't help but utter a squeak of pain, the stake falling from my grasp. I wouldn't give in though, "Do it then."

David leaned closer, his face inches from mine, "Don't think I won't." His voice was like frost, cold and unforgiving.

I hissed at him, my anger growing with his heightening temper, "Do it then."

Without another thought, he broke it swiftly and without remorse.

This proved my theory again, I really_ was_ an idiot.

Biting back the cries that I longed to utter, I looked away from him and my wrist. The pain was raw, and I couldn't stand it.

"Told you." He stood, dragging me up with him, his hand still gripping my wrist.

It was agony. I had always thought of myself to have a high pain threshold, it kind of came with the territory. But never had I been in a situation where they were hurting me simply for _fun_. Of course, I had been in countless fights, had my arms, legs and once even my collarbone broken. The point is though; those had been life or death situations. The vampire had always been fighting for its existence. David, however, was in no such quandary, and currently I wasn't even a threat.

David wasn't about to let go, "You're sleeping with us." He proceeded to drag me in the direction the others had taken.

I struggled feebly, not going to submit to him, but unable to do very much in this predicament.

Once inside, I was aware of Marko, Paul and Dwayne all hanging by their feet on a long bar, which ran along the top of the ceiling. It was repulsive, being so near helpless vampires, but powerless to kill them.

David pulled me to him, deliberately harsh, smirking. I bit my lip, preventing myself from crying out in pain, I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. He tightened his grip and I looked away, not allowing him to see my expression. Vainly, I attempted to pull out of his grasp, but it was to no avail.

He broke the silence, speaking quietly, but with an obvious of hint of...well evil, for want of a better word, "Moral of the story, Sasha?"

I briefly considered fighting him, but that wouldn't help me right now, "Don't...don't ask you to snap...my wrist?"

"That, and...?" He still managed to tighten his grip further, waiting for a particular answer.

I knew what answer he wanted, and I had to give it, if I wanted to keep my hand intact. Which I did.

"Don't...don't disobey?"

David loosened his hold, but didn't let go, pleased that he seemed to have broken me.

"Well done. And I wouldn't forget that, if I were you."

I nodded, desperately wishing he would let go. A moment later, he fulfilled my wish.

"Now, up." He nodded upwards, to where the others were.

"I...I can't." I wasn't lying, I couldn't do that. I didn't have those claw like feet, and even if I did, there was no way I could lay like that. Or, rather, hang like that.

David looked at me, and I wondered what he was thinking. After another moment, he shrugged, "Well, then lucky you, come here."

"W-what?" He couldn't mean what I thought he meant, surely?

He spoke more firmly, "I said, come here."

I cringed, "But...why?"

"I'm not going to hurt you. But, if you don't come here, I will."

He didn't have to tell me twice, one broken wrist was enough for one night.

I hesitated for another moment, and then moved closer to him.

Swiftly, he put an arm around my waist, preventing me from moving away, "I'm going to take you up there."

I held onto him with the barest amount of strength I could manage, only using that which was necessary to stay still.

It was the oddest sensation, being upside down like this. The world just tipped on its axis. But, it was not uncomfortable, just strange. The blood did not rush to my head, and I felt just as I had before.

I avoided his gaze, closing my eyes. David's lips brushed my ear, "Well, goodnight." His trademark smirk was present in his voice.

I didn't respond. His arms didn't loosen throughout, even once he was asleep.

Sleep wouldn't come to me; it refused me the pleasure of forgetting for even just a handful of hours. It never came. And I spent a long day, stuck in David's arms, with only my own thoughts for company. This was almost as worse as before. But, it wasn't the worst yet to come.


End file.
